The Communist Party of China has sent a message of condolence to its Vietnamese counterpart for the death of its chief Nguyen Phu Trong, state media reported on Friday.
Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam since 2011, died Friday afternoon at the age of 80, “due to old age and serious illness”, according to Vietnam’s official announcement.
In the condolence message, the Central Committee of the Chinese party, its highest decision-making unit, praised Trong as “a good comrade, good brother and good friend”, and a “close comrade and sincere friend of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people”.
“He inherited and developed the traditional friendship of ‘comrades and brothers’ between the two parties and two nations and forged a deep friendship with the Communist Party of China and Chinese leaders,” the message reads, referring to Trong’s joint effort with Xi Jinping, China’s president and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, to elevate those ties to a “community of shared destiny with strategic significance” last year.
“China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy and is willing to work with Vietnam to continuously consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and push forward the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared destiny in a deeper and more practical way, so as to benefit the two peoples and contribute to peace and development in the region and the world,” it said.
The state Vietnam News Agency announced on Thursday that Trong had handed duties over to President To Lam, who took office on May 22, to focus on his medical treatment. At the same time, the Vietnamese government awarded him a Gold Star medal, the country’s highest honour.
Trong was one of Vietnam’s most powerful leaders in decades. His death came amid political turmoil since March, which has seen three of its top five leaders step down in an anti-corruption campaign.
During his tenure Trong developed a close relationship with the Chinese government, though the two nations still have unresolved disputes in the South China Sea, which occasionally grow into stand-offs.
China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and a major foreign investor. And Vietnam in recent years has become a leading destination for supply chain and manufacturing companies relocate from China against the backdrop of US-China trade tensions and geopolitical rivalry.
Under Trong’s leadership, Vietnam also advanced ties with the United States and its allies, while maintaining relations with Russia and North Korea.
