China’s Xi visits Vietnam in bid to counter US

China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Vietnam Tuesday for his first visit in six years, as he seeks to counter the United States' growing influence with the communist nation.

Xi will meet the leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, after Hanoi upgraded diplomatic ties with Washington when US President Joe Biden visited in September.

Biden's visit was part of US efforts around the world to contain China's rising economic power — and to secure supplies of crucial materials needed for high-tech manufacturing.

Vietnam has long pursued a "bamboo diplomacy" approach, striving to stay on good terms with both powers.

It shares US concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea, but it also has close economic ties with China, while both countries have ruling communist parties.

Vietnam and China already share a "comprehensive strategic partnership", Vietnam's highest diplomatic status. Hanoi and Washington upgraded their relationship to the same level in September.

Xi Jinping (right) and Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong review an honor guard in Hanoi, Vietnam. File/AP

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the visit would involve discussions on "bringing China-Vietnam relations to a higher position".

That could see Xi push for Vietnam to join his "Community of Common Destiny", a loosely defined phrase that refers to a vision of future cooperation on economic, security and political issues.

In an article published Tuesday in Vietnam's Nhan Dan newspaper, Xi said that "Asia's future is in the hands of no one but Asians".

Wang said the agenda for Xi's trip includes "politics, security, practical cooperation, the formation of public opinion, multilateral issues and maritime issues".

On Tuesday, Chinese and Vietnamese flags lined the route that Xi will travel from the airport into central Hanoi.

Dozens of well-wishers waving Chinese and Vietnamese flags gathered outside the hotel where Xi is expected to stay.

On Wednesday, Xi will hold talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Vo Van Thuong and will lay a wreath at the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

Agence France-Presse