HANOI -- As General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping's Special Representative, Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, led a CPC delegation to Hanoi to mourn the passing of Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also met with Vietnamese President To Lam and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

A respect-paying ceremony was held at the National Funeral Hall in Hanoi, where Trong's coffin was placed among flowers and draped in a large Vietnamese national flag in a somber atmosphere.

On behalf of Xi and the CPC Central Committee, and in the name of Xi's special representative, Wang laid a wreath, paused to observe a moment of silence before bowing three times to Trong's coffin, conveyed sincere condolences from Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan to Trong's widow Ngo Thi Man, and left a message in the condolence book.

While meeting with the Vietnamese leaders, Wang expressed deep grief over the passing of comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, saying that after learning the sad news, Xi went to the Embassy of Vietnam in China to pay tribute to the late leader, and the CPC Central Committee sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee.

Appointing Wang as Xi's special representative to lead a CPC delegation here for the mourning shows once again the heartfelt grief and sincere condolences of Xi and the CPC Central Committee to the CPV Central Committee and Trong's family. At this special moment, the party and people of China stand firmly with the party and people of Vietnam, Wang said.

Wang noted that Trong is a staunch Marxist, a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, and a great friend of the Chinese people. His death is a great loss to the cause of socialism in Vietnam and to the cause of peace and progress of mankind.

The Chinese party and government will, as always, support the Vietnamese party in leading its people on a development path suited to their national conditions, and support Vietnam's reform, opening-up and socialist development, Wang said.

It is believed that under the strong leadership of its central committee, the CPV will inherit and develop Trong's philosophy and principles on party and state governance, and unite and lead the Vietnamese people to successfully accomplish the goals and tasks set forth at the 13th National Congress of the CPV and welcome the successful convening of the 14th National Congress of the CPV, Wang added.

Wang said that Xi and Trong have devoted to the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries. Under the strategic guidance of the two leaders, China-Vietnam relations have maintained steady and sound development and have been lifted to a new height of a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, Wang noted.

He said that China is ready to work with Vietnam to implement the important consensus reached between the two sides during Xi's visit to Vietnam last year, maintain high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation in key areas, consolidate the foundation of public support for China-Vietnam friendship, and strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, so as to promote the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future in a deep, solid, steady and long-term manner, he said.

After the passing of Trong, the CPC Central Committee immediately sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee, the Vietnamese side noted, adding that Xi's visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in China to mourn and sending Wang as his special representative to Vietnam to pay condolences shows the special feelings of the CPC, Chinese government and people towards the CPV, Vietnamese government and people, which deeply moved the Vietnamese side.

The Vietnamese side said that Vietnam is more determined to follow the national development path established by the older generation of leaders and Trong, stressing that China is the only country that has all the priority factors in Vietnam's foreign policy.

Vietnam will keep in mind Trong's entrustment that "so profound is the friendship between Vietnam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers," always give top priority to the development of relations with China, and firmly promote the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in accordance with the important consensus reached between Trong and Xi.

The Vietnamese side congratulates the successful holding of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, saying that the plenary session put forward important measures for further deepening reform comprehensively, which will effectively promote China's high-quality development and modernization, and will also provide important reference and impetus for Vietnam to continue to promote the cause of Doi Moi (reform).

During his stay in Hanoi, Wang also met with Esteban Lazo Hernandez, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and president of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, who attended the condolence activities.