China and Vietnam strengthen political relations in high-level call

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized on Wednesday during a phone call with the leader of the Vietnamese Communist Party that China and Vietnam should focus on developing stable industrial supply chains between the two nations, News.az reports citing foreign media.

In addition, Xi, who is also general secretary of China’s Communist Party, pledged in the call with To Lam to “promote the socialist cause”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
“The two sides should continue to strengthen the parties, deepen the exchange of socialist theory and practical experience, and promote the development and growth of the socialist cause in the midst of a century of changes in the world,” he said.

To was quoted as saying that he “sincerely admired” China’s achievements led by its Communist Party, and the “high-level priority” of Hanoi’s foreign policy was its relations with Beijing.

Beijing and Hanoi have played up ties between the two parties and mutual political trust, despite their overlapping claims in the South China Sea and US attempts to court Vietnam.

As part of that process, China and Vietnam launched a strategic consultation mechanism between their foreign ministries last month, covering diplomacy, defence and public security.

Those efforts culminated in talks in Beijing on Tuesday between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vietnamese Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu.

During the talks, Wang stressed the need to “boost high-level exchanges, deepen strategic mutual trust, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation”.

To also made China his first foreign stop after taking office in August, telling Xi that “high-level and strategic” ties with China were a “priority” in its neighbourhood diplomacy.
Two months later, Beijing sent its second-most senior military official, General Zhang Youxia, to Vietnam. It was only Zhang’s third international trip since becoming vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2017, with the previous two being to Russia.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Vietnam in the same month and signed 10 agreements on economic cooperation in areas of agriculture, railway links, and payment systems.

News.Az