South China Sea: Xi Jinping calls for ‘mutually acceptable solutions’ as he visits Vietnam

Most recently, a Chinese survey vessel and its escort ships were accused of violating Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in May.

Xi said both countries “should vigorously promote cooperation, and make due efforts to build an enabling external environment for our respective development and to realise long-term stability and security in our region”.

It comes as tensions have been rising in the contested South China Sea – which China claims almost in its entirety – with a number of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent months.

The visit comes 10 days after Foreign Minister Wang Yi co-chaired a meeting on bilateral cooperation in Hanoi, where he met Thuong and “reached a new consensus on strengthening cooperation and promoting the sound and steady development of China-Vietnam relations in all fields”, according to a Xinhua report.

In his article, Xi highlighted the “traditional friendship” between the two neighbours that normalised diplomatic ties in 1991. Xi described them as “vocal advocates of multilateralism” that have “always treated each other with sincerity”.

“No matter how the global environment has changed, our two parties and countries have worked together to uphold peace and tranquillity, pursue development and cooperation, and promote prosperity and progress,” Xi wrote, adding that they had found a “promising path” of cooperation.

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“An elevated bilateral relationship is a natural result in accordance with the overwhelming trend,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. “Standing at a new historical point, the two sides will be guided by the high-level common understandings … and make new progress in growing our comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.”

Xi also touched on cultural exchanges in the article, pointing to the popularity of Chinese literature, film and television productions in Vietnam, and the success of Vietnamese pop stars in China.

“The small creeks of ever closer people-to-people interactions are converging into a mighty river of friendly ties between China and Vietnam,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Chinese ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo said “political trust” between the two countries had deepened following Trong’s visit to China, and senior leaders had maintained “close strategic exchanges”.

“The two party general secretaries reached common perceptions on the promotion of China-Vietnam relations to a new height and defined the direction for the development of the bilateral relations in the new period,” Xiong was quoted as saying by the official Vietnam News Agency.