Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) greeting Vietnam's National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, in Hanoi on April 14, 2025. - Reuters
HANOI: Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Vietnam to jointly oppose "unilateral bullying” to maintain the stability of global free trade and supply chains, as Beijing aims to strengthen ties in South-East Asia on the leader’s first overseas trip of the year.
Xi urged the two countries to work together to push for economic globalisation that is more open, inclusive and balanced to all, Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday (. Xinhua cited Xi’s remarks during meetings with Vietnam’s top leadership, including Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
"China’s mega-market is always open to Vietnam,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua, adding that he also called on the two countries to steadily advance cooperation in infrastructure construction, to enhance connectivity.
The two countries signed a total of 45 deals covering areas including connectivity, AI, customs inspection, agricultural trade, culture and sports, livelihood, human resource development and media, Xinhua said.
Leaders of the two countries agreed to establish a committee for railway development between the two nations in a bid to boost cooperation in that area, according to a separate report by Vietnamese state media VTV.
Vietnam is seeking to further strengthen cooperation with China in security, transport and securing preferential loans as well as technology transfers from China, VTV said.
Hanoi also expects more balanced trade with its neighbour, it said.
Xi landed in Vietnam days after Donald Trump raised tariffs on China but gave everyone else - including Vietnam, which is negotiating over its 46% rate - a 90-day pause.
His regional tour, which will also see him visit Malaysia and Cambodia, highlights the tricky position South-East Asian nations face. They’ve become key routes for Chinese exports to reach the US since Trump’s tariff hikes on Beijing in his first term.
Ahead of his trip, Xi warned that there are "no winners in trade wars or tariff wars, and protectionism leads nowhere,” in an article in Nhan Dan newspaper, a publication of the Vietnamese Communist Party.
Since the first US-China trade war, Vietnam has emerged as a major beneficiary, with manufacturers relocating operations across the southern border to avoid tariffs imposed by the US.
Investment from China has poured into Vietnam’s northern industrial parks, where companies including Foxconn and Luxshare Precision Industry Co. have large factories making components for brands such as Apple.
Vietnam’s economy is heavily reliant on Chinese parts and raw materials, and the two sides are working to develop infrastructure to connect them more closely.
China is Vietnam’s largest bilateral trade partner, with commerce totalling over US$205 billion last year, and is a major market for Vietnam’s agricultural products from fruit to seafood, cashew nuts and coffee.
Vietnam’s government has vowed to speed up the progress of three railway projects connecting the two countries. This includes the $8.4 billion cross-border railway that will link the northern border city of Lao Cai to Hanoi and Haiphong port city.
On Sunday, the Vietnamese government moved to allow the import of more types of aircraft, which could pave the way for a deal with Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd., better known as Comac.
Chinh, Vietnam’s prime minister, said that aviation cooperation between Comac and Vietnamese partners has produced "increasingly positive outcomes,” after meeting the company’s chairman on Monday, according to a post on the government website.
In addition to aircraft leasing, Comac should "work with Vietnamese partners to invest in aircraft maintenance and repair centres in Vietnam,” Chinh said. - Bloomberg
