China will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up this month. Its neighbour Vietnam has a similar political system and is implementing its own version of economic reform (Doi moi, in Vietnamese). For Vietnamese Ambassador to China H. E. Mr Dang Minh Khoi, reform and opening-up has profoundly changed China in many respects.

Dang, who first came to China in 1991, has been working in the country for nearly 10 years and became Ambassador to China three years ago. Over the years, he has travelled to most of the major Chinese cities and the countryside on field inspection.

Dang is especially impressed by China’s success in poverty reduction. He feels that the overall condition of China’s rural areas is very different from what it was decades ago.

Thanks to policies that helped increase income and improve livelihoods of the poorest, China has lifted over 700 million people out of poverty in the past 40 years.

“China has made tremendous contributions to poverty reduction in the world,” said Dang.

Technological progress in the country is another aspect that impresses Dang the most. He said China is now in the lead in areas from space technology to e-commerce, a far cry from the past when it largely relied on foreign technology.

The envoy enjoys taking the high-speed railway to travel to different cities in China. Most recently, he took a high-speed train to the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.

In the eyes of the senior Vietnamese diplomat, the success of reform and opening-up lies in its solving some of China’s developmental problems and finding “a new and suitable pace” on its path.

Vietnam is also on the path to rapid development. Reform in the country which started 32 years ago has cleared a path for economic growth.

Vietnam’s GDP has been growing rapidly and is expected to increase 6.9 percent this year. The country’s per capita GDP is close to $3,000, according to data provided by the Vietnamese Embassy in China.

Talking about similarities in the development between China and Vietnam, Dang said, “The two countries share similar systems and both uphold the leadership of the Communist Party. This is vital to maintaining the stability of our countries and focusing all social forces and resources on economic development.”

As for the differences, the envoy said, “Vietnam and China are like two boats sailing in the Asia-Pacific region. While China is a big country, Vietnam has more flexibility. That determines the development paths of the two countries wouldn’t be completely the same.”

However, that won’t lead to obvious differences in political, economic and social models between China and Vietnam. “Those differences only lie in the notes, not in the main melody,” said Dang.

“A strong China can provide Vietnam with better development opportunities. At the same time, a Vietnam with stable development and friendly attitude toward China will also create a favourable environment for China’s development.”

Despite China’s continued efforts in opening up, some people have questioned its development and even consider the country a threat.

Responding to such concerns, Dang said reform and opening-up has a profound influence on the world. Without the policy, the Asia-Pacific region would not be what it is today since other countries can now gain from China’s development.

“I believe China will send more positive messages to countries which have concerns and the world will trust China more.”

Dang’s comments on reform and opening-up to some extent reflect how the Chinese policy is viewed by the Vietnamese at an official level. The trade volume between the two countries has continued to expand in recent years.

In 2017, bilateral trade volume exceeded $100 billion and China has been Vietnam’s largest import source for 13 consecutive years, according to data released by the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

Vietnam hopes China can further increase imports. “Vietnam’s deficit with China is considerable,” said Dang.

Vietnam’s trade deficit with China started to narrow three years ago after expanding for years. Figures from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam show its deficit with China stood at approximately $22.8 billion in 2017.

Vietnam and China established a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2008. Now the two countries are jointly docking Belt and Road initiative (BRI) with the construction of Vietnam’s “Two Corridors and One Economic Belt” plan. Projects are underway as part of the cooperation.

Dang said Vietnam pays attention to the BRI projects that enhance connectivity, including, for example, the possibility for Vietnamese companies to utilize the China-Europe freight train and other new flights and shipping routes which facilitate the transport of goods to Europe.

As for future cooperation, Dang suggests it is important to increase high-level official visits and communication between Vietnam and China, taking into account the complexity of the current international situation. The two countries can also expand party-to-party exchanges and have deeper interaction on experience acquired in undertaking the reforms.

“Vietnam and China are both located in the Asia-Pacific region and both need a stable and prosperous external environment. That means we must exercise restraint and keep close cooperation in the face of possible tensions and complexities. As we know, China and Vietnam still have some differences over the maritime issue. Further discussions need to be had on how to enhance communication and maintain stability at sea with such differences in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” added Dang.

(In association with Global Times, China)