Chinese President Xi Jinping has been welcomed by the Vietnamese military as he arrived in Hanoi.
Advertisement
Xi conveyed congratulations for the 85th anniversary of the founding of the CPV and the 70th anniversary of that of Vietnam.
The two parties have reviewed the development process of their relations. “Negotiation is the right approach, and through gradually making consensus, the two sides can expand mutual interests”.
When President Xi Jinping lays a wreath at the hulking Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi this week, he’ll be reminding Vietnam of the country’s shared communist lineage and Cold War partnership battling the U.S.
He asked the youth to strengthen exchange as well as close, effective and practical coordination, reinforcing the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and China. “China rejects that a country should seek hegemony once it grows strong”. Patriotic sentiments still run high in Vietnam, and Xi’s visit has been viewed by observers as an attempt to improve relations after that episode.
Japanese and Vietnamese defense chiefs agreed Friday that a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel can make a port call at a strategic Vietnamese naval base in the South China Sea, Japanese officials said.
Emphasising similarities between China and Vietnam, especially their socialist characteristics, Xi urged the two countries to remain “trusted comrades”, “win-win partners”, “good neighbours” and “friends”.
Both sides agreed to jointly control maritime differences to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) that promotes a consensus reached at an early date on the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC).
After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents covering such fields as party-to-party exchanges, transportation, tourism, production capacity, culture, railway, energy, finance and local affairs.
Xi, together with his wife Peng Liyuan and other delegation members, were greeted by Dinh The Huynh, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). According to initial statistics, there are now over 14,000 Vietnamese students studying in China, while a few 3,000 to 4,000 Chinese students are sent to Vietnam each year. Speaking at the National Assembly, Xi said the two countries share a common destiny. The Spratlys and Paracels have always belonged to Vietnam, and we have all historical and legal evidence to support our sovereignty. He called on Vietnam to facilitate the investment and operations of Chinese businesses. Competition does exist in the region but Vietnam joining the TPP will not hinder the healthy trade development with China.
On the first day of Xi’s visit, dozens of activists had held rare demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in a harsh crackdown by police who beat and detained them, sources told RFA.
Another Xinhua report Friday said that Xi’s schedule in Vietnam reflects the “positive momentum” of relations between the two countries.
Advertisement
The victor of the 2010 Miss Vietnam Dang Ngoc Han, dressed in the Vietnamese national costume Ao Dai, also attended the friendship meeting.
