by Xinhua Writer Zhu Dongyang

    BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- As Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off a landmark state visit to Vietnam on Thursday, the time is ripe for the two countries to inject more practical substance into their "comradely and brotherly" friendship.

    After a wave of tensions caused by their South China Sea row, China and Vietnam are walking out of the woods. Xi's trip, indicative of the strategic acumen of both Beijing and Hanoi, is set to infuse more vigor and faith into the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

    During his two-day stay, Xi will meet with Vietnamese leaders, including General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, and chart with them the future course of bilateral relations.

    The two sides are also expected to sign over 10 cooperation agreements covering such areas as party-to-party interaction, infrastructure, production capacity, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.

    The tight yet promising schedule reflects the positive momentum that has been building up in China-Vietnam ties of late. Given that their dispute over the sovereignty of some South China Sea islands has yet to be solved, the progress bears witness to the two neighbors' will and ability to properly manage their differences.

    Therefore, Beijing and Hanoi should never shake their confidence in face of any noises pouring cold water on or even slinging mud at their partnership. Yet nor should they allow such parochial and ill-intended views to go unchecked and mislead the public opinion towards the unfathomable abyss of confrontation.

    As Nguyen Phu Trong said during his visit to China this April, Vietnam, taking its partnership with China as "a priority" of its foreign policy, will work with China to "find out a solution acceptable to both sides to maintain the peace and stability."

    As regards Vietnam's trade deficit with China, another excuse used by some Vietnamese to smear bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the truth is that the imbalance is due to their different industrial chains and foreign trade structures. As Vietnam's biggest trading partner for 11 years, China never intends to seek surplus.

    Meanwhile, China is sparing no efforts to link its Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's development strategy of "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle," and the two sides have also agreed to boost cooperation simultaneously on the maritime, onshore and financial tracks. Such endeavors will not only optimize the structure of bilateral economic intertwinement but bring real benefits to the two peoples.

    Thus the two countries should seize the opportunities presented by Xi's visit and, by giving full play to their political wisdom, complementary economic advantages and diplomatic expertise, boost mutual understanding and trust, promote win-win practical cooperation, and consolidate the public foundation for bilateral relations.

    In so doing, they will constructively address all outstanding problems in their relations, and keep their partnership sailing forward in the right direction towards more win-win results.

Related：

Interview: Xi's visit marks milestone in Vietnam-China ties -- Vietnamese senior party official

HANOI, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam will mark a milestone in the relations between the two parties and the two countries, a senior official of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has said.

Hoang Binh Quan, head of the CPV Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua and other Chinese media stationed in Hanoi.Full story

Xinhua Insight: China, Singapore time-tested recipe for success

BEIJING/SINGAPORE, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- One needs to look no further than the banks along the Singapore River, which flows through the city-state's central business district, to see firsthand the results of its miraculous transformation into a modern-developed country.

Along this very river bank there is a bronze bust of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, which was installed to commemorate the "special and intimate" relationship between Singapore and China.

This relationship was only possible thanks to Deng and late Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew. The two great statesmen met in 1978 during Deng's visit to Singapore, which laid the foundation for an evolving bilateral relationship that has benefited the two countries, and the wider region, tremendously. Full Story

Interview: Culture, sports, tourism exchanges among pillars in Vietnam-China friendship: official

HANOI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- "Vietnam and China are countries with homologous cultures, therefore culture, sports and tourism exchanges are among important pillars in the bilateral friendship," said Huynh Vinh Ai, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Since the 1990s, cooperation in culture, sports and tourism between Vietnam and China has brought fruitful outcomes, said Ai in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday. Full story

Editor's note:

Chinese President Xi Jinping pays his first state visit to Vietnam and Singapore on Nov. 5-7 in a trip set to open up new prospects for China's relations both with the two countries and with Southeast Asia as a whole.

Xinhua is wiring a series of in-depth stories about the two-nation Asia tour, China-Vietnam and China-Singapore ties, and Beijing's neighborhood and overall foreign policy.

You can follow our special coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube:

http://www.twitter.com/XHNews

http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChinaViewTV