Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Vietnam for his first state visit in six years, seeking to strengthen ties between the communist neighbours as Hanoi deepens diplomatic ties with the West.
The visit comes three months after US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam, as leading powers vie for influence in the Southeast Asian country.
Xi plans to meet with Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said.
At the meeting, the political leaders will exchange views on strategic issues “crucial to the direction” of relations between the two sides, as well as discuss international and regional issues of mutual interest.
Vietnam is keen to remain in good relations with both powers, adopting a “bamboo diplomacy” approach. It shares US concerns over tensions in the disputed South China Sea, but it also has political commonalities and close economic ties with China.
China and Vietnam already have a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” Vietnam’s highest diplomatic status. Hanoi and Washington upgraded their relationship to the same level in September.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Xi’s visit would discuss “taking China-Vietnam relations to a higher level”. He noted:
“The agenda for the trip includes politics, security, practical cooperation, the formation of public opinion, multilateral issues and maritime issues.”
The neighbours feud over borders in the South China Sea despite close economic ties.
Over the past decade, China has expanded reclamation in the South China Sea, creating militarised islands with airstrips, ports and radar installations. Vietnam, as well as Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan, also have overlapping claims to the territory. During Biden’s September visit, Vietnam and the US jointly warned against the “threat or use of force” in the South China Sea.
Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan published a quote from Xi:
“Asia’s future is in the hands of no one but Asians.”
A “community with a shared future” between the two countries would be of strategic importance, he added, warning against growing “hegemonism” in the world – an apparent reference to the US, although he did not name it.
In September, Joe Biden said strengthening ties with Vietnam was not about countering China, although US diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific has focused on improving defence ties with the countries for that very purpose.
China has enjoyed close trade relations with Vietnam for many years, with bilateral trade totalling $175.6 billion in 2022. Imports from China, including essential goods for Vietnam’s manufacturing sector, account for 67 per cent, according to data from the Vietnam Customs Service cited by Vietnamese state media.
China has invested more than $26 billion in Vietnam, and about 4,000 projects are in the active implementation stage. Xi last visited Vietnam in 2017 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit in the coastal city of Da Nang.
