Vice-President Xi Jinping began a three-day visit to Vietnam yesterday, widely seen as an attempt to exert more influence in Southeast Asia amid territorial disputes and US efforts to reassert itself in the region.
Xi met members of the local Chinese community after arriving in Hanoi. He plans to visit the mausoleum of late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh today and meet Vietnamese Communist Party head Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.
In Hanoi, Xi said China and Vietnam had long been friends and had steadily developed ties in recent years, according to his written remarks. He noted that Vietnam, like China, had achieved steady growth under communist leadership and said the neighbouring nations had established a strategic partnership that was conducive to world peace.
He added that he looked forward to discussing ways to improve ties and the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and its Vietnamese counterparts.
Chinese leaders have stepped up diplomatic efforts in Southeast Asia recently amid concerns their influence in the region is waning as the United States takes steps to strengthen its ties with China'a neighbours. Xi will visit Thailand next.
In another move in the region, State Councillor Dai Bingguo is attending a Mekong River countries summit in Myanmar, which has recently suspended a Chinese-funded dam project.
Speaking ahead of Xi's tour, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Monday that Xi would exchange views on important international and regional issues with Vietnamese leaders, and sign co-operation deals with Vietnam on health, trade and the press.