China’s ties with Vietnam are a diplomatic priority, Xi Jinping tells To Lam on state visit

Xi seeks to reinforce ‘high-level and strategic’ ties with Lam on his first overseas trip as Vietnamese leader

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Vietnamese President To Lam inspect an honour guard as they make their way to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00pm, 19 Aug 2024Updated: 9:19pm, 19 Aug 2024

China reaffirmed its “high-level and strategic” ties with Vietnam are a “priority” in its neighbourhood diplomacy, as the leaders of the two countries met in Beijing on Monday.

Putting maritime disputes and concerns about stability in Hanoi on the back burner, Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked his Vietnamese counterpart, To Lam, for making China his first overseas trip since rising to general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party.

“[The visit] fully reflects the great importance you attach to the relations between the two parties and countries, as well as the high level and strategic nature of China-Vietnam relations,” Xi said at the Great Hall of the People.

“I am willing to build a good working relationship and personal friendship with you, and jointly lead the construction of a community of destiny between China and Vietnam in a deeper and more practical way.”

Less than three weeks have passed since Lam was confirmed as the party chief, succeeding Nguyen Phu Trong, one of Vietnam’s most influential leaders who died on July 19 after 13 years as general secretary.

Xi spoke highly of Trong – describing him as “a good comrade and friend” – and of Trong’s contribution to bilateral ties, despite a deepening rift in the South China Sea between Beijing and Hanoi and Vietnam’s elevation of ties with the United States.