Leaders of Guangdong province’s departments and branches along with overseas Vietnamese who are studying and working in the locality attended the event.

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Consul General To Quoc Tuan reviewed major milestones in the relations between Viet Nam and China in 2011, noting the visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the Viet Nam visit by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

The two countries’ effort in consolidating and developing the cooperative friendship over the past 62 years is in conformity with fundamental and long-term interest of their people, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and beyond, Tuan said.

He said the friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and China have enjoyed rapid and strong development in all areas in recent years.

The Consul General highlighted the agreement on comprehensive strategic partnership reached by the two countries’ high-ranking officials, which follows the 16-word motto of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, durable stability and looking toward the future” and the four-good spirits of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners”.

The economic and cultural cooperation between Vietnamese localities and Guangdong province has developed intensively and extensively in all fields, Tuan said.

In 2011, two-way trade exceeded 7 billion USD, recording a year-on-year increase of over 30 percent.

Tuan said the two sides still hold much cooperation potential and expressed his wish that all agreements which have been signed between Vietnamese localities and Guangdong province will be realised soon.

Sharing Tuan’s views, Deputy Director of Guangdong provincial Foreign Affairs Office Zhang Li Min said Vietnamese localities and Guangdong province have reached remarkable achievements in the cooperation in economics, trade, infrastructure, agriculture, science-technology, tourism and natural resources.

He put stress on traditional relations between Viet Nam and China , which, he said, have been fostered by the two countries’ leaders and become a valuable asset of both nations.

Guangdong province will closely coordinate with the Vietnamese Consulate General to contribute to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, Zhang Li Min said./.