Vietnamese, Chinese should promote friendship: Jiang Zemin Communist Party general secretary and president of China, Jiang Zemin, said he hoped that the young people of Vietnam and China would promote the traditional friendship fostered by leaders of the two countries, strengthen exchanges, mutual studying and understanding and develop bilateral co-operation. This was reaffirmed by General Secretary Jiang Zemin on October 16 in his congratulations at the Chinese-Vietnamese Young People's Friendship Meeting held in Beijing from October 15 to 24. The statement read: "On the occasion of the Friendship Meeting for the Chinese and Vietnamese young people, I would like to express my congratulations and warm welcome to the Vietnamese youth delegation.' "Young people are the future of the nation and the hope of the country. I hope young people of the two countries will shoulder the historical heavy responsibility of developing China-Vietnam relations of 'friendship neighbourliness, comprehensive co-operation, long-term stability and future-oriented thinking'," the greetings read. The Chinese Party leader also asked the young people of China and Vietnam to unceasingly accelerate bilateral ties, thus helping the developing causes of socialism of the two countries comprehensively entering the 21st century.
