China-Vietnam relations enter 'new stage' after Xi Jinping strikes deal with Hanoi

Ties between China and Vietnam entered a new phase as Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a two-day visit to the neighbouring country on Wednesday after striking a deal with Hanoi to step up cooperation and build a community with a "shared future".

The pledge - a major diplomatic outreach by Beijing - will "open a new stage in the development of relations" between the two sides, Xi told Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong during a meeting in Hanoi on Wednesday.

In their joint statement released on Wednesday, China and Vietnam agreed to raise ties to a new stage of "greater political mutual trust, more substantive security cooperation, deeper practical cooperation, firmer social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better management of differences".

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They also promised to boost security cooperation and intelligence sharing, with an eye on the risks of the so-called "colour revolution" posed by "hostile forces". Regarding "maritime differences", they said they would seek basic and long-term solutions acceptable to both sides.

Elevating bilateral ties was a priority for Xi during his trip, which came three months after US President Joe Biden visited the country, resulting in a major boost to the relationship between Washington and Hanoi.

During his two-day visit, Xi also met Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vuong Dinh Hue, chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam.

In his meeting with Chinh, Xi said that China and Vietnam should oppose any "attempt to mess up the Asia-Pacific" - a veiled reference to the US Indo-Pacific strategy.

The two sides signed 36 cooperation agreements, including pacts on digital economies and digital data, railway cooperation and road connectivity in border areas, as well as bilateral investment cooperation in green development, according to Vietnamese media.

The two countries also agreed to set up a hotline to communicate about "unexpected incidents arising from fisheries activities at sea", according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency.

Xi's reference to a"China-Vietnam community of a shared future that carries strategic significance" mirrored his 2012 idea of "a community of common destiny", which envisaged a world where people lived in harmony, enjoyed win-win cooperation among nations, and strived for the greatest possible benefits for humankind.

Including Vietnam in the bilateral communities of a "shared future" - which also include Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Mongolia and South Africa - was seen as a major diplomatic goal for Xi's visit.

Hanoi was Xi's fourth overseas trip this year after visits to Russia, South Africa and the United States.

Beijing had been pushing for improved strategic ties with Vietnam after a recent upgrade in US-Vietnam ties.

When Biden visited Vietnam in September, Hanoi designated Washington as one of its "comprehensive strategic partners" - the highest level in Vietnam's diplomacy ranking. Japan was lifted to the same level in November.

During the meeting with Chinh on Wednesday, Xi hailed the newly minted relationship, which carried strategic significance between the two countries.

"It fully shows the extraordinary breadth and depth of China-Vietnam relations," according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Xi also called for closer coordination on international and regional issues, and attributed the successes of China and Vietnam partially to a largely peaceful environment in the Asia-Pacific.

"China would like to step up multilateral cooperation with Vietnam ... increase the voice and influence of developing countries in international affairs," Xi told Trong, the Vietnamese party chief, on Tuesday.

Trong said that Hanoi considered cultivating relations with China "a top priority and a strategic choice" while reaffirming that it would continue its foreign policy directions of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, according to Vietnamese reports.

The two countries have robust economic exchanges but have also been at odds with each other over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

When he met Hue, Xi noted that differences on maritime issues must be "managed properly", adding that the two sides must explore opportunities for maritime cooperation and joint development.

Senior party officials from the two countries also met on Tuesday. Cai Qi, a close aide of Xi's, met Truong Thi Mai, a member of the Politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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