China’s Xi pays state visit to Vietnam to 'manage differences'

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday began a two-day state visit to Vietnam, seeking to "manage differences" with its southern neighbor.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China, arrived in Hanoi, the capital of the communist-ruled nation, around noon, local time.

The visit, first in six years by Xi, comes at the invitation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Ahead of his visit, Xi said China and Vietnam "need to maintain strategic communication and reinforce the political foundation" for a China-Vietnam community with a "shared future."

It has been 15 years since China and Vietnam established a ​​​​​​​comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

"We need to properly manage differences and expand the consensus ... Both sides need to act on the common understandings reached by the leaders of our two parties and countries, properly manage differences on maritime issues, and jointly look for mutually acceptable solutions," the Chinese president wrote in an article published by Vietnamese media.

China and Vietnam have overlapping maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea.