Xi meets Vietnam’s To Lam in Beijing

Solid synergy: Xi (second from right) and his wife Peng Liyuan (right) posing with To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. — AFP

President Xi Jin­ping has met with Vietnam’s leader To Lam in Beijing, Chinese state media reported.

The visit yesterday is To Lam’s first foreign trip since the Com­munist Party leader was elected as president – the number two position in Vietnamese politics – last week, unifying leadership of the party and state, as Xi did in China.

“On the morning of April 15, Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Commu­nist Party of Vietnam and president of the country, who is paying a state visit to China,” state broadcaster CCTV said.

Despite territorial claims in the South China Sea, the two countries have sought to deepen already close economic ties to guard against global trade upheaval caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Xi congratulated the Vietnamese leader last week on his election and expressed his willingness “to work with To Lam to conti­nuously strengthen our respective socialist causes”, Chinese state media reported. — AFP