BEIJING: President Xi Jinping assured Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, who was in China on Monday, that China would build a reliable supply chain with its "comrade and brother," Vietnam.

Vietnam will not allow any foreign military base to be established there, and it will not cooperate with any nation, according to Trong, the first foreign leader to visit China since Xi's third term.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, Trong told Xi during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that "Vietnam ... has made the development of friendship and cooperation with China a top priority in our foreign policy."

Read Also: Pak PM Shehbaz to discuss CPEC expansion with China

To prevent maritime disputes from "affecting the overall development of relations between the two countries", Trong said Vietnam wanted to cooperate with China to maintain peace and stability along its maritime border as well as its land border. Is.

Although bilateral relations have remained largely stable, China and Vietnam have competing claims in the disputed South China Sea, resulting in recent conflicts between their coast guards and fishing boats.

Due to its relatively low cost, Vietnam is also seen as a rival to some of China's manufacturing sectors in the global supply chain, especially in light of Beijing's trade conflict with the United States and growing geopolitical risks.

During their meeting, Xi informed Trong that China supports cooperation in the fields of healthcare, green development, digital economy and climate change, as well as encourages its tech companies to invest in Vietnam.

According to CCTV, Xi said China is ready to work with them to link development strategies with the Vietnamese side, promote connectivity between the two countries and build a stronger industrial supply chain system.

According to him, the two socialist nations faced "a very complex international environment and serious risks" in terms of ideology.

Read Also: India's Defense Dept is at the forefront of giving jobs, China-America also lag behind

Communist parties in China and Vietnam should "make every effort to advance socialist modernization, never allow anyone to hinder our progress, and never allow any force to shake the institutional basis of our development," he said. should."

Xi said that in order to "maintain each other's political security and social stability", the two countries should increase their exchanges of governance, maintain military contacts and work together on law enforcement.

Chinese state television broadcast footage of the two leaders shaking hands and hugging after meeting without masks as they posed for a picture.

Five years ago, Xi made his first visit outside China since the last Party Congress.
Vietnam's main trading partner is China. According to official Vietnamese customs data, bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded US$165 billion in 2021, an increase of 24.6% over the previous year.

As the two countries transition to a new phase of socialist development, Trong's visit was deemed "a very important visit at a critical moment" by Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo on Monday.

Read Also: Do not click on this link of Diwali offer by mistake, will have a huge loss

According to Xiong, the two nations have long cooperated and supported each other in their efforts to achieve national emancipation and independence, developing a unique bond of "sympathy and brotherhood", ideas and ideas to advance socialist construction. To exchange information and progress together. The mouthpiece People's Daily.

This week, Xi will also host German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.