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 — largely keeping to language it has used in the past.
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