Chinese President Xi Jinping and new Vietnamese leader To Lam affirmed on Monday to work together to further deepen bilateral relations, with Lam making his first trip to China after taking office earlier this month, state-run media said.
Lam’s selection of China for his first overseas visit after assuming the country’s top position “fully demonstrates the great importance” he attaches to bilateral ties, Xi said during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, according to China Central Television.
Xi expressed his wish to “jointly lead the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future” with Lam.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) and Vietnam’s new leader To Lam shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Aug. 19, 2024. (Kyodo)
The Vietnamese leader said Hanoi regards ties with China as a “top priority” in its foreign policy and is willing to “further deepen and enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership,” CCTV said.
After the talks, the two leaders jointly witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents covering such areas as finance, health, customs inspection and quarantine, it added.
On Aug. 3, Vietnamese President Lam was elected as the chief of the Communist Party, the country’s highest position, to succeed Nguyen Phu Trong, who died in July. On the first day of his three-day trip to China from Sunday, Lam visited the southern city of Guangzhou.
Xi visited Vietnam last December and agreed with Trong to boost bilateral cooperation and avoid confrontation over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Related coverage:
Vietnam public security minister To Lam elected as president
Deep rift surfaces at East Asia meeting over Russia’s war, China’s rise
