Xi visits Vietnam in bid to improve ties

HANOI: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi yesterday on his first overseas visit after being re-elected as China's Communist Party chief last month in an effort to improve relations between China and Vietnam.
Ties have cooled recently over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Xi will hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, late Sunday and with President Tran Dai Quang on Monday before leaving Hanoi for a meeting with Asean leaders and the East Asia Summit in Manila.
Xi attended the Apec meeting in Da Nang and delivered a speech at its CEO summit, calling for more economic openness.
China and Vietnam need to "stay committed to seeking a fundamental and durable solution to their maritime issues acceptable to both sides through friendly consultation," Xi Jinping said in an article published by the state news agency Xinhua on Thursday to his scheduled trip to Vietnam. – dpa