Vietnam, China to boost economic, defence cooperation

Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) and China’s Premier Li Qiang inspect a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on October 13, 2024 – Copyright POOL/AFP NHAC NGUYEN

Vietnam and China said they will boost defence and economic cooperation, Vietnamese state media reported on Sunday, despite a recent fare-up in their territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

China’s Premier Li Qiang met Vietnam’s top leader To Lam in Hanoi on Saturday, the Nhan Dan newspaper reported. 

The two agreed to “maintain regular high-level exchanges and cooperation in defence, security, and foreign affairs… expanding the implementation of new mechanisms”, the newspaper said.

Vietnam would facilitate more high-tech Chinese investment in the country and Beijing would strengthen market access for Vietnamese agricultural products, the newspaper said.

Both sides would prioritise cooperation in rail connectivity between the neighbouring countries, Nhan Dan said.

China is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner, but the two countries share historic tensions — including in the South China Sea, a waterway through which trillions of dollars of trade pass each year.

China has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

Last week Hanoi protested what it said was a “brutal” attack by Chinese vessels on Vietnamese fishermen in a disputed area of the sea. 

At Saturday’s meeting Vietnam’s Lam “urged both parties to… better manage and resolve differences” in maritime issues, Nhan Dan said.

Lam took office in early August as general secretary following the death of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong.

He met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing just a few weeks after during his first overseas trip.