Chinese President Jiang Zemin congratulated Nong Duc Manh on his election to be general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

In a message of congratulation to Manh, Jiang, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and in his own name, sent his heartfelt congratulations to the new leader of the Vietnamese communist party.

Jiang said that Vietnam has made a great change since the Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the CPV in 1996.

He said that under the guiding principle of long-term, stable, future oriented, good neighborly and comprehensive cooperation, Sino-Vietnamese relations have scored dramatic improvement and stepped into a new era.

Jiang said he believed that after his election, the reform and the socialist construction in Vietnam will achieve healthy, smooth development, while the bilateral ties between the two countries will be further strengthened.

(chinadaily.com.cn 04/23/2001)