On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam’s second-highest official to remember the “original intention” of their longstanding alliance.
Vietnam, which raised its relations with Washington to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September, placing its one-time foe on a level with Beijing and Moscow, has been caught in the crossfire between China and the United States for influence among Southeast Asian countries.
Despite a short conflict in 1979, China and Vietnam have historically had close ties since diplomatic relations were established in 1950. Throughout the Vietnam War, Beijing supported Hanoi in its battles with Saigon, the United States, and former colonial power France.
“The two countries must not forget the original intention of their traditional friendship in the face of the ever-changing international situation and challenging domestic development tasks,” Xi told the visiting Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.
While visiting Beijing’s Belt and Road Forum, Thuong, Vietnam’s No. 2 behind Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, spoke with Xi.
According to people familiar with the arrangements, Reuters reported at the beginning of October that Chinese and Vietnamese authorities were getting ready for a potential trip by Xi to Hanoi around the end of October or at the beginning of November.
“The two sides should adhere to the principle of joint consultation,” Xi said, adding that China and Vietnam should use their proximity and complementary industries.
The Chinese official media’s report of their meeting did not mention any Xi visits.
When the two leaders met on the margins of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday, official media in Vietnam claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted an offer from Thuong to “soon” visit Vietnam. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Hanoi in September.
