DA NANG, Vietnam, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Hu Jintao, general secretary of the 
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, 
met here Wednesday evening with Nguyen Ba Thanh, secretary of the Da Nang City 
Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). 
 
 
   Hu Jintao (C), general secretary of 
 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of 
 China, visits a toy factory in Danang, Vietnam, November 15, 2006. 
 [Xinhua]
   | 
During the meeting, Hu spoke highly of the city's achievements and said he 
hoped that different localities of the two countries will strengthen exchanges 
and cooperation for common development. 
Thanh said the city will learn from China's experiences and welcome Chinese 
investment in the city. 
Hu arrived in this central city of Vietnam Wednesday afternoon on a state 
visit to Vietnam as guest of General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nong 
Duc Manh and President Nguyen Minh Triet. 
Hu is also scheduled to attend the 14th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic 
Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Informal Meeting from Nov.17 to 19 in Hanoi, 
capital of Vietnam. 
In a written statement delivered upon arrival at the airport, Hu said that 
the Chinese side is delighted to see Vietnam's achievements under CPV's 
leadership. 
He said the Chinese side is convinced that the Vietnamese people will build 
Vietnam into a modern socialist industrialized country under the CPV's 
leadership. 
Hu reviewed the traditional friendship between the two peoples as the two 
countries are friendly neighbors sharing mountains and waters. 
He said there have been continuous and important new progresses made in the 
new century in Sino-Vietnamese relations under the guidance of the principles of 
long-term stability, future-orientation, good neighborly friendship and overall 
cooperation. 
Meanwhile, bilateral friendly exchanges and cooperation have been furthered, 
and the two countries and their peoples have become good neighbors, friends, 
comrades and partners, noted Hu. 
He said he is looking forward to exchanging views with Vietnamese leaders on 
the relations between the two parties and the two countries, as well as 
international and regional issues of common concern. 
He said this visit will help promote bilateral traditional friendship and 
cooperation in various fields, and the development of bilateral good neighborly 
friendship and overall cooperation. 
Vietnam is the first leg of Hu's four-nation tour, which will also take him 
to the Laos, India and Pakistan. 
Chinese statistics show that Sino-Vietnamese trade volume last year reached 
over US$8 billion, and the figure in 2006 is expected to exceed US$10 
billion.