China relations ‘a top priority’, Vietnamese leader To Lam tells new Beijing envoy

Chinese envoy to Hanoi He Wei promises to ‘reinforce political trust’ and work to better resolve disagreements in the South China Sea

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Vietnam’s top leader To Lam receives credentials from China’s newly named envoy He Wei on Tuesday. Photo: Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in Vietnam

Published: 4:24pm, 18 Sep 2024

Vietnam’s developing relations with China are “a strategic choice and a top priority” for Hanoi’s foreign policy, the country’s top leader, To Lam, said on Tuesday as he received credentials from China’s new ambassador, He Wei, according to state-owned Vietnam News Agency.

Lam stressed the importance of traditional friendship and Vietnam’s comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.

He added that recent visits by the top leaders of both countries, including his trip to China last month and President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Hanoi in December, “established a new positioning for the bilateral relationship … contributing to bringing about practical benefits for the two countries and maintaining peace, stability and development in the region and the world”, the agency said.

He, who arrived in Hanoi last week, “pledged to contribute to stepping up regular high-level exchanges to reinforce political trust, expanding substantive cooperation in defence and security, elevating socio-economic and cultural cooperation, promoting friendly people-to-people exchanges … and jointly controlling and better resolving disagreements at sea”, Vietnam News Agency reported.

China’s foreign ministry did not mention the South China Sea disputes in its statement, but it did say He hoped the “ship of friendship” would “sail steadily and far”.

He replaced Xiong Bo, who left Hanoi at the end of last month after nearly six years in the position.

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