Amid South China Sea tension, Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi urges Vietnam to help uphold Communist ideals

China’s foreign minister calls on Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang to contribute to keeping peace and stability in the region
China-South Asia Expo in Kunming also attended by senior officials from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Laos as Beijing attempts to strengthen ties in region

China-Asean relations

Laura Zhou

Published: 4:00pm, 17 Aug 2023

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Beijing’s top diplomat made a direct appeal to Vietnam’s shared ideology with China as he urged Hanoi to prepare for a summit and prevent “interference” by external forces.

As neighbours with similar ideologies, “the two sides should prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges”, Wang Yi told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang on Wednesday.

“[We should] jointly safeguard the security of the regime and institutions and jointly uphold the ideals and beliefs of the [Communist] Party and its socialist directions,” the Chinese foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying during talks in the southwestern city of Kunming.

At the same time, China would work closely with “Asean countries, including Vietnam … to oppose provocative interference by extraterritorial forces and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and the region”.

02:43

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Tensions have risen in recent weeks over the hotly contested South China Sea after a Chinese coastguard ship fired a water cannon at a Philippine vessel to block it from carrying a resupply mission to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands. It has triggered a diplomatic row between Beijing and Manila.

China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is expected to resume negotiations for a code of conduct regarding the South China Sea in Manila next week. Vietnam and the Philippines are Asean member states and both are vocal critics of China’s claims in the waterway.

According to the Chinese statement on the meeting, Quang reaffirmed China’s “unparalleled significance and special nature” to Vietnam, and said bilateral ties had “always been a top priority” for Hanoi.

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“Vietnam opposes and is wary of foreign interference and will strengthen high-level exchanges with China to deepen practical cooperation in all fields,” he was quoted as saying.

Soon after China’s national party congress in October, Beijing rolled out the red carpet for the chief of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, who was the first foreign leader Xi hosted after securing an unprecedented third term as Communist Party chief. There is speculation Xi will visit Vietnam in a reciprocal visit in coming months.

Quang was in Kunming for the China-South Asia Expo, part of Beijing’s latest efforts to strengthen links with regional countries.

In addition to Vietnam’s deputy prime minister, senior officials from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Laos attended Wednesday’s opening ceremony, where Wang called on South Asian countries to “ride on China’s development momentum and share the benefits of China’s growth”.

02:13

Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at its vessels in disputed waters

Wang also held talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, reaffirming Beijing’s commitment to Sri Lanka “in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and national dignity”.

“China is always a strategic partner on whom Sri Lanka can rely,” Wang told Gunawardena, adding that Beijing was willing to help cash-strapped nation “effectively address the challenges of the financial debt problem”.

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Wang also met Nepali Vice-President Ramsahay Yadav and the two sides agreed to continue promoting construction of the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network and accelerate a feasibility study of the cross-border railway through the Himalayas that started last year.

Beijing and Kathmandu agreed to push forward the connectivity network in 2019 when Xi visited the Himalayan nation. As part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the network would involve new roads, railways, air transport and trading ports as mountainous landlocked Nepal seeks more options to reduce its dependence on India to access the global market.