Chinese President Xi Jinping with Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong
President Xi Jinping warned Wednesday in Hanoi that China and Vietnam should fight any attempt to mess up Asia-Pacific, as Beijing strives to counter growing US influence with the communist country.
Xi’s visit to neighboring Vietnam in his first six years, the two countries pledged to strengthen ties and signed more than 30 agreements, including a vow to develop rail links between Vietnam and China.
The two-day visit comes after Hanoi upgraded diplomatic ties with Washington during a visit by US President Joe Biden in September.
Xi stated, “China and Vietnam should be vigilant against and oppose any attempt to mess up Asia-Pacific”.
“We should strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and jointly maintain a sound external environment”, Xi continued.
Biden’s visit was part of United States global attempts to restrict China’s expanding economic and to acquire critical resources for high-tech manufacturing.
China and Vietnam announced in a joint statement Tuesday that they would deepen and expand bilateral relations.
They pledged to form a community with a shared future, and described the visit as an historic landmark in bilateral ties… contributing to peace and stability and development in the region and around the world.
Vietnam has historically used bamboo diplomacy to maintain good relations with both China and the United States.
It shares the United States concerns about Beijing’s growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea, but it also has close commercial links with China.
On Wednesday, Xi visited the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and talked with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Vo Van Thuong.
Chinh stated, “Vietnam was committed to supporting China to strongly develop, promoting its role as a major country with important contributions to the international community, supporting initiatives by comrade Xi Jinping for peace, cooperation, and development in the world”.
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