ASSESSMENTS

A High-Level Visit Showcases China and Vietnam's Complicated Relationship

Nov 4, 2022 | 21:47 GMT

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and Vietnam's Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong (right) wave during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Nov. 12, 2017.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and Vietnam's Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong (right) wave during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Nov. 12, 2017.

(HOANG DINH NAM/AFP via Getty Images)

A recent meeting between party leaders of Vietnam and China suggests a possibility of improved relations between the two countries after years of tensions, but Beijing's political overtures and economic promises will not be enough to substantially alter Hanoi's multivector foreign policy. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, Vietnamese Communist Party Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong visited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other high-level officials. Trong was the first foreign leader to meet with Xi since the Chinese leader secured his historic third term, highlighting the special importance Beijing ascribes to its relationship with Hanoi. The delegation accompanying Trong was also unusually large and dominated by national security officials, including the defense and national security ministers. The two sides agreed to increase bilateral trade, maintain supply chain stability, strengthen strategic connectivity and manage differences under the rubric of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership. The meetings produced 13 documents to boost...

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