Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam to jointly oppose ¡°unilateral bullying¡± in his first overseas trip this year in a veiled jab at the U.S. Hanoi¡¯s initial silence on the request shows its attempt to walk a tightrope between the two powers.
Xi¡¯s call to action was omitted in the Vietnamese readouts and state media after the Chinese leader met with Vietnam¡¯s Communist Party chief, To Lam, on Monday. Vietnam gave Xi a warm welcome and signed 45 deals to deepen economic ties, but had appeared to avoid any comments that may upset U.S. President Donald Trump.
Shortly after Xi¡¯s departure, Vietnam released a joint statement saying the two sides will ¡°pay attention¡± to trade and investment restrictions, while vowing to ¡°oppose unilateralism¡± and any actions that endanger regional peace and stability ¡ª largely keeping to language it has used in the past.
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