China, Vietnam Agree to Boost Security Ties

Facts

• Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping concluded a two-day visit to Vietnam on Wednesday, where he met with his counterpart Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.¹
• It's the first visit by the Chinese leader to Vietnam in six years, with the two nations signing contracts for 37 deals, including on diplomatic ties, railways, telecommunications, and trade.²
• While the specific details of the agreements haven't been publicized, they are expected to also include plans to improve cooperation on digital interconnections under what's known as the Digital Silk Road — a program under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative centered around improving optical fiber cables, data centers, and other infrastructure with diplomatic neighbors.³
• The meeting also saw Beijing and Hanoi issue a 16-page joint statement pledging to strengthen their military and intelligence-sharing ties.⁴
• China and Vietnam have had a 'comprehensive strategic partnership' for 15 years, making them each other's highest-level diplomatic partners. In recent months, however, Hanoi has sought stronger relations with Western-oriented nations, with US Pres. Joe Biden having visited Vietnam in September, during which he established an equally high diplomatic standing as China's.⁵
• Vietnam has traditionally endeavored to maintain good relations with both powers by pursuing a strategy known as 'bamboo diplomacy.' The country has strong economic links to China and similar political views, but it also shares US criticisms about Beijing's claims in the disputed South China Sea.⁶

Sources: ¹Abc news (a), ²Reuters (a), ³Reuters (b), ⁴Reuters (c), ⁵Abc news (b) and ⁶Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by New York Times. Xi's visit — which takes place three months after Biden's formal visit to Hanoi in September, during which the country granted Washington its highest diplomatic status — is merely an attempt to test the waters and one-up the US. Amid pressure from China, however, Vietnam must be careful not to abandon its 'bamboo diplomacy' by bending to Xi's will or risk facing backlash.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global times. According to a distorted US media analysis, Xi's visit to Vietnam only occurred due to major diplomatic advancements between the US and Vietnam — a false narrative that implies that Beijing and Hanoi have had little interaction in the past. Unlike the US, which seeks to use Hanoi to further its own interests when necessary and set it aside when not, China has been fostering long-term connections with Vietnam. The historical relationship between the US and Vietnam, however, is much more complicated.