China, Vietnam hail ‘shared future’

Honoured guest: Pham (right) bids farewell to Xi after their meeting at the Government Office in Hanoi. — AP

The leaders of China and Vietnam hailed as “strategic” their decision to strengthen ties and be part of a community with a “shared future”, as a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping entered its second and final day.

During the trip, Xi’s first this year to an Asian nation, the Communist-ruled neighbours, close in economic areas but at odds over the South China Sea, signed dozens of co-operation pacts, following months of talks on how best to describe ties.