HANOI, April 11 -- The visit by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China has helped reinforce political trust between the two countries, according to a respected China expert here.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Bui Hong Phuc, vice president of Vietnam-China Friendship Association, said that the visit to China of the CPV Secretary General has definitely " bolstered trust, friendship and cooperation between the two countries."

Phuc, a former Vietnamese Ambassador to China, made the remarks after the visit to China from Tuesday to Friday of a top-level Vietnamese delegation led by Trong on the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

What is most significant, according to Phuc, was the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation led by Trong included members of CPV Politburo, secretariat, leaders of ministries of foreign affairs, defense, security, planning and investment, industry and trade, and representatives of the country's national assembly, and localities.

"Through various meetings, exchanges at the highest-ranking level, ministerial level, from central to local level, under frank, open, sincere and friendly discussions, the visit has yielded important results such as reinforcing political trust between the two countries, strengthening traditional friendship, and boosting cooperation, especially in trade and commerce," the expert told Xinhua.

Phuc described the visit as "a great success," adding that the Vietnam-China Friendship Association was indeed very happy with the results.

"We expect that the common understanding and agreements forged during the visit would result in positive actions that would redound to the improvement of Vietnam-China bilateral ties," Phuc said.

Phuc said that Vietnam and China are two neighboring countries that should transcend temporary setbacks and work for genuine friendship. "We are two peoples, with many things in common in terms of culture, traditions and customs, and have worked together for many years to build our historic relations," he said.

The leaderships of the CPV and the CPC have worked very hard to strengthen Vietnam-China bilateral relations. "During the two countries' revolutions for national independence, Vietnamese and Chinese people acted shoulder-to-shoulder, supported and helped each other in bringing about the success of the revolutions," he said.

"The Vietnamese people will never forget the great and precious support that Chinese people provided to our own struggle to win our freedom from foreign powers twice, one against Franceand then against the Americans," Phuc said.

According to the expert, despite some setbacks, Vietnam-China relations have continued to flourish because of the values and sacrifices that the two countries have shared in the past.

Since the normalization of Vietnam-China relations in 1991, the two countries' bilateral ties have gained rapid and extensive developments in all areas, bringing practical interests to the two sides with several important achievements.

"Firstly, through high-level exchanges of visits, the two countries managed to build a framework for bilateral cooperation under the principles of 16-word motto in 1999, the four-good spirit in 2002 as well as the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2005," Phuc said.

Moreover, cooperation between CPV and CPC, two countries' respective ministries, sectors, and localities has been further boosted as time passed by. In fact, Phuc said, Vietnam-China economic and trade relations have witnessed a strong growth during the past years as China becomes Vietnam's largest trading partner.

"As a Vietnamese whose main advocacy is to boost Vietnam-China relations, I believe that our two peoples should continue to work for a lasting peace, friendship, and solidarity based on shared traditions and aspirations," Phuc said.