Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday kicked off his first state visit to Vietnam since taking over presidency in 2013, vowing to build stronger relations as the two neighbors have seen warming ties and stabilized cooperation in the past year.
GRAND WELCOME
Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended a formal welcoming ceremony with full military honors and a 21-gun salute, shortly after landing at Noi Bai International Airport in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
"I hope my visit could help cement our traditional friendship, outline the future development of our relations, and lift the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level," Xi said in a statement upon arrival.
Greeted by beaming local children waving flowers and flags of both countries, Xi inspected a Vietnamese honor guard with his host Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, as goose-stepping soldiers shouted well-wishing slogans to the two leaders.
In the evening, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, attended a welcome banquet held by Trong and President Truong Tan Sang. "It is natural for the Vietnamese side to extend top-level welcome arrangements for such an important visit," said Kieu Tinh, a Vietnamese journalist and commentator.
STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
After rolling out the red carpet for Xi at the Presidential Palace on central Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square, Trong accompanied his Chinese guest to walk a short distance to the CPV headquarters for talks.
During the meeting, the two leaders vowed to cement and advance the two countries' traditional friendship forged during the revolutionary era, and augment cooperation in aspects ranging from economic exchanges, development strategies, party-to-party ties and coordination on international affairs.
The two neighboring countries, linked by mountains and rivers, have become a community of common destiny with strategic importance, said Xi. Trong echoed Xi's remarks, stressing the geographic closeness of the two countries and the benefits of working together and enhancing exchanges. What is most important for the two leaders is not discussing specific issues, but to point out the future direction for bilateral ties from a strategic perspective, said Nguyen Huy Qui, a longtime China observer and a former researcher with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
After their talks, Xi witnessed with Trong the signing of a host of agreements on such subjects as party-to-party cooperation, infrastructure, economy, energy and culture. He also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
WARMING TIES
Xi's visit culminates a year of frequent high-level exchanges, as the two countries have seen warmer ties after relations sank to a low point last year due to their South China Sea row.
"This year marks the 65th year since the two countries established diplomatic relations," said Do Tien Sam, chief editor of Chinese Studies Review, a publication with the Institute of Chinese Studies at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
He noted that Trong paid a visit to China earlier this year, and President Truong Tan Sang also traveled to Beijing in early September for China's V-Day commemorations. Xi's visit is a clear demonstration that the leaders of both countries attach paramount importance to bilateral ties, he said, noting that peace, stability and development are the genuine expectations of both peoples.
In their talks, both Xi and Trong stressed the importance of maritime cooperation, saying both countries need to properly manage their differences in this area and highlight common interests. Qui said although bilateral relations have been affected by disputes in South China Sea, the fundamentals of China-Vietnam relations are sound, and Xi's visit is important to stabilizing the relationship.
"This visit marks both the heritage of the traditional bilateral friendship, and the resolution to create a better future for both peoples," said Xu Liping, a senior research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Xi is due to meet with Truong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung on Friday, and he will address the National Assembly of Vietnam on further promoting China-Vietnam relations. Vietnam is the first leg of Xi's two-nation Asia tour, which will also take him to Singapore.
Latest comments