On the afternoon of October 13, Mayor Chen Zhichang met with Vietnamese Ambassador to China Fan Xingmei and his delegation. Wang Xianghon, Vice Mayor and Ning Chenggong, Vietnamese Consul General in Shanghai also attended the meeting.

On behalf of Huai'an Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, Chen Zhichang welcomed Ambassador Fan Xingmei and his delegation. After a brief introduction to Huai'an economic and social development, Chen mentioned that as the hometown of Premier Zhou Enlai, the first foreign minister of new China, Huai'an has been closely tied to Vietnam. In 2017 and 2018, delegates of Vietnamese Party and Government at the bureau level visited the city for many times to seek closer relations and common development. The co-built artificial turf company in Huai'an and Honggang International Trade Co., Ltd. at Hongze District have successively invested in Vietnam, further deepening the economic and trade cooperation between the two places. This year is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. It is hoped that friendship with Vietnamese embassies and consulates will be further deepened, and practical cooperation in economy, trade, culture and other fields between the two places will be strengthened, so as to achieve better results along the road of mutual benefit and common development.

Fan Xingmei is impressed by the close revolutionary relationship between Premier Zhou Enlai and President Ho Chi Minh, and has a great longing for Premier's hometown. Through his personal experience in Huai'an for the first time and the introduction by Mayor Chen, the city has left a good impression on him by its great achievements in epidemic prevention and control as well as economic and social development. Therefore, Fan has seen the broader prospect of deepening exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. It is hoped that the two will continue to strengthen mutual trust and constantly expand cooperation fields. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Consulate General in Shanghai will continue to play a good role as bridges, actively build cooperation platforms for mutual benefits, and make greater contributions to the development of Sino-Vietnam friendly relations.

During their stay in Huai'an, Fan Xingmei and his delegates will visit Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall.