BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, on Monday awarded Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China.

A ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, read out the order of award.

Xi presented the medal to Trong, hailing Trong as a staunch Marxist, and a close comrade and sincere friend of the CPC.

With his great attention and personal promotion, the traditional friendship between the two parties and countries has been consolidated, political mutual trust enhanced, practical cooperation deepened, and exchanges and mutual learning have been increasingly close, Xi said.

The medal represents the friendly feelings of the CPC and the Chinese people toward Trong and the Vietnamese people, symbolizes the profound friendship between China and Vietnam as "comrades and brothers", and embodies the ardent hope of the two parties and the two peoples for a better future together, said Xi.

Noting China and Vietnam are good neighbors and friends "connected by mountains and rivers, as close as lips and teeth," Xi said the two countries are like-minded comrades and partners with a shared future committed to the cause of peace and progress of humanity.

On the journey of promoting socialist modernization of the two countries, the CPC is willing to work with the CPV led by Trong to inherit the traditional friendship created and carefully cultivated by Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh and other older-generation leaders of the two parties and two countries, and to jointly lead China-Vietnam relations to achieve greater development.

Trong said he sincerely thanked Xi for awarding him the medal, which fully reflects the feeling of friendship of the CPC, Chinese government and Chinese people toward the CPV, Vietnamese government and people, as well as toward Vietnamese leaders. It is also a great inspiration for Vietnam's long-term commitment to the Vietnam-China friendship.

He said it is a great pleasure for him to accept the honor, and he will work with the Vietnamese people on his post to continue to adhere to the socialist path, constantly consolidate and deepen the Vietnam-China friendly relations as "comrades and brothers," and jointly realize a brighter future.

Trong also expressed the hope that the Vietnam-China friendship will last forever, and that the Vietnam-China relations will become a model of international relations from generation to generation.

After the awarding ceremony, Xi and Trong had a tea chat to talk about the traditional friendship and development prospects between the two parties and countries.