IRIA News

China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in Vietnam on December 12, 2023, for the first time in six years seeking to strengthen ties with the communist neighbor amid the U.S.’s increasing influence in the region. Xi’s visit comes three months after U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Vietnam.

President Xi Jinping’s first to Vietnam since 2017 is aimed at improving and strengthening China’s ties with Asian neighbors.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi’s visit would involve discussions on “bringing China-Vietnam relations to a higher position”. The agenda for the trip includes “politics, security, practical cooperation, the formation of public opinion, multilateral issues, and maritime issues,” he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Vietnam with his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Tuesday. They were greeted at the Hanoi airport by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the start of Xi’s two-day trip. According to Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry, President Xi will meet Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his two-day visit.

The two sides will sign economic cooperation agreements. He is expected to lay down the funding for a railway line project that would play a crucial role in increasing Vietnam’s trade with China. Vietnam is also seeking Beijing’s support to boost its post-pandemic struggling economy that relies heavily on the manufacturing sector.

China seeks strategic and long-term ties with Vietnam

Xi Jinping, Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, held a detailed meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday.

Xi emphasized that “China always sees its ties with Vietnam from a strategic and long-term perspective” and considers its relations with Vietnam as a ”priority in its neighborhood diplomacy”.

“With joint efforts, China-Vietnam ties will enter a new stage of greater political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper mutually beneficial cooperation, stronger popular support, closer multilateral coordination and better handling of differences,” Xi Jinping added.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Phu Trong expressed hope that Chinese President Xi’s visit would be a new historic milestone and elevate the relationship between the two countries to new heights. He said that Vietnam considers the development of relations with China a top priority and a strategic choice.

China and Vietnam seek closer ties

China and Vietnam, long-standing ideological and economic partners, have encountered strains in their relationship in recent years, primarily due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The friction arises from conflicting claims over numerous islands in the region, with both nations asserting sovereignty despite competing assertions from neighboring countries.

In an article featured in Vietnam’s state-owned newspaper, President Xi articulated a crucial perspective, emphasizing that “Asia’s future is in the hands of no one but Asians.” This statement underscores the significance of the China-Vietnam relationship as a pivotal factor in countering external influences in the region. The sentiment reflects the shared responsibility of both nations in shaping the destiny of Asia and maintaining regional stability amid geopolitical challenges.

During his meeting with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Xi emphasized China’s unwavering support for Vietnam’s socialist development. He underscored the enduring nature of the China-Vietnam relationship by viewing it through a strategic and long-term lens.

Xi calls for building China-Vietnam community with shared future that carries strategic significancehttps://t.co/R7pjg8qdSM pic.twitter.com/Dm0bBzND8y

— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) December 12, 2023

Xi said that the China-Vietnam partnership is poised to advance into a new phase characterized by heightened political mutual trust, strengthened security cooperation, deepened mutually beneficial collaboration, increased popular support, enhanced multilateral coordination, and improved management of any differences that may arise.

China and Vietnam sign 36 agreements

During Xi Jinping’s visit, China and Vietnam signed at least 36 agreements in diverse sectors. These covered investment and trade, defense and security, crime prevention and control, sea patrolling and search and rescue at sea, transport, establishing hotline at sea, green growth, climate change, railways, digital economy as well as information technology and telecommunications.

According to China’s Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo, the two countries signed “dozens of cooperation documents,” during Xi’s first day of visit. Among these deals are Chinese investments aimed at enhancing rail connectivity between the two nations. China aims to strengthen transportation links to benefit Vietnam’s exports to China, particularly in the realm of agricultural products. Simultaneously, Beijing aims to further integrate the northern region of Vietnam into its southern supply chain networks.

In an opinion piece published in the newspaper of the Vietnamese Communist Party before his visit, President Xi called for accelerated cooperation in building infrastructure. The enhancement of rail networks is expected to enhance the import of components from China for assembly in Vietnam, effectively expanding China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Several Chinese companies are also moving their operations to Vietnam this year, surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels. This strategic move by several Chinese companies is driven by the desire to be closer to having easier access to the Western markets through Vietnam, reducing economic risk posed by the U.S.-China trade tensions, and mitigating exposure to China’s economic challenges.

Furthermore, China actively advocates for Vietnam’s inclusion in its Digital Silk Road. This initiative may involve investments in new undersea optical fiber cables, the 5G network, and other telecommunications infrastructure. China is also investing in the Hanoi metro transit project under the Belt and Road Initiative.