Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Vietnam on Monday during talks with Vietnam's new leader To Lam in Beijing on his first state visit since he took office, Chinese official media Xinhua said.
The meeting signals the close ties between the two communist-run neighbors, which have well-developed economic and trade relations despite the occasional boundary clashes in the energy-rich South China Sea.
"China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and supports Vietnam in adhering to the party leadership, taking the socialist path suited to its national conditions, and deepening the cause of reforms and socialist modernization," Xi said at the meeting.