Photo: AFP/Zhai Jianlan
Eurasia
24/10/2023 11:02
Vo Van Thuong, Vietnam's No.2 after its Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, held talks with Xi after attending Beijing's Belt and Road Forum, Reuters reported.
"The two sides should adhere to the principle of joint consultation," Xi told Thuong, adding that China and Vietnam should capitalise on their geographical proximity and complementing industries.
China has traditionally strong ties with Vietnam since diplomatic relations were established in 1950, despite a brief war in 1979. Beijing has backed Hanoi’s fight against former colonial ruler France, and later, against Saigon and the US during the Vietnam War.
“Faced with the ever-changing international situation and arduous domestic development tasks, the two countries must not forget the original intention of their traditional friendship,” Xi told visiting Vietnam’s president Vo Van Thuong.
In September, US president Joe Biden visited Hanoi, as a result of the visit Vietnam elevated its ties with Washington to a comprehensive strategic partnership, putting its one-time enemy on par with Beijing and Moscow.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the nation’s key developments in 2024 in his New Year address, saying the past year has been eventful for Kazakhstan and was “marked by important developments,” reported the Akorda press service.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on the nation to remain confident in the coming year, saying the world's second-largest economy can overcome challenges and pressure through hard work.
Bird collusion, landing gear failure, some kind of explosion in the engine? - speculation is rife as to what could have caused the worst air disaster in South Korea's history.
Memorials were held for the victims of the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean region in 2004, killing more than 200,000 people in one of modern history’s worst natural disasters.