Update: Xi meets Vietnamese president

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who is in Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Noting that China and Vietnam have developed a deep friendship of "camaraderie and brotherhood," Xi said the two countries are both advancing their own socialist modernization cause, both regard the bilateral relationship as a priority in their respective foreign policy, and both see each other's development as opportunities for their own development.

Facing a rapidly changing international landscape, the two countries should work together in following the path of socialism and building a community of a shared future with strategic significance, Xi said.

He called on China and Vietnam to pursue a path to prosperity and strength in line with their own national conditions, and strengthen cooperation in advancing the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan.

The countries should also strengthen cooperation in emerging fields such as e-commerce, and should continue to make the bond between the people of China and Vietnam, particularly younger generations, even closer, Xi said.

Thuong said over the past decade, the Belt and Road has become a key high-quality international cooperation platform featuring openness and inclusiveness, and has boosted relevant countries' development and promoted the friendship between their peoples.

President Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of the forum expounded on strategic plans and concrete measures, which will greatly influence future international cooperation and global development, the Vietnamese president said.

Thuong said Vietnam always regards China's development as an opportunity and supports socialist China in further developing and realizing the goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country on schedule. Vietnam believes that China will make greater contributions to promoting world peace and development, he added.

The Vietnamese side is willing to intensify high-level strategic communication with China and continuously enrich the contents of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership under new circumstances, Thuong said.

Senior Chinese officials Cai Qi and Wang Yi were present at the meeting.