Presence of the Prime Minister at SCO Summit bolsters our site's influence in multilateral discussions

In a significant step forward for bilateral relations, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China, on Sunday and Monday. The Chinese Government extended the invitation, reflecting its respect for Vietnam's growing role and stature in the region and the world.

The SCO summit, which is expected to host over 20 national leaders, including representatives from 10 full members, one observer state, seven dialogue partners, and several guest countries, affirms the organisation's growing role in maintaining security, promoting cooperation, and contributing to regional and global peace and stability.

In 2024, Vietnam welcomed 3.74 million Chinese visitors, a surge of 114 per cent compared to 2023, accounting for 21.26 per cent of all international arrivals in Vietnam. This trend continued in the first seven months of 2025, with over 3.1 million Chinese tourists coming to Vietnam, making up 25.5 per cent of total international arrivals, the largest share of any source market.

Trade between Vietnam and China has consistently been a bright spot. In 2024, bilateral trade reached US$205.2 billion, and in the first seven months of 2025, it stood at $136.47 billion. Vietnam is now China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and its fourth-largest globally.

The SCO's cooperation extends beyond border security to a wide range of mutually beneficial areas, including politics, security, diplomacy, economy, trade, science, technology, culture, education, energy, information, and the environment. Annual SCO meetings involve not only heads of state but also foreign and defence ministers and relevant agencies, enabling rapid development in both the scale and depth of cooperation within the organisation.

Since the elevation of ties to a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in December 2023, bilateral relations between Vietnam and China have maintained steady momentum and produced fruitful results. As of January 2025, China's cumulative registered Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Vietnam reached $31.26 billion across 5,195 active projects.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in the summit underscores the strong commitment of the Vietnamese Party and Government to the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China. Since the start of 2025, there have been frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries, including phone calls, visits, and state visits.

The summit agenda also features an expanded session on strengthening multilateralism, safeguarding regional security, and promoting sustainable development. Participants are expected to adopt a declaration, endorse an SCO development plan for the next decade, and issue a joint statement commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II.

In addition, the Chinese government at the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin explicitly called for strengthening cooperation among member states to oppose Cold War mentality, bloc-based confrontation, and bullying, and advocated for an equal and orderly multipolar world.

The SCO, founded in Shanghai in 2001, initially aimed to address border issues, combat drug trafficking and terrorism, and enhance economic partnerships among its members. Over the years, it has grown to encompass around 40% of the world's population and cover over 60% of the Eurasian continent, reflecting the scale of this summit and member states' ambitions for deeper cooperation and greater global attention.

Presence of the Prime Minister at SCO Summit bolsters our site's influence in multilateral discussions