Chinese Premier Li Qiang (left) with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Vietnam and China signed 10 agreements ranging from agriculture cooperation to cross-border QR code payments on Sunday (October 13, 2024), during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s three-day visit to Hanoi, as the two neighbours seek to boost ties.

China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector, with bilateral trade jumping 21% for the first three quarters from the same period last year to $148 billion.

The signing ceremony followed Mr. Li’s meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Mr. Li and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, President To Lam, agreed on Saturday (October 12, 2024) to boost economic ties, farm produce cooperation.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked China to boost agricultural trade with Vietnam, open doors to Vietnamese farm produce and enhance customs clearance at borders, state broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) reported.

Vietnam and China also signed a document on updating progress on cross-border railway links related to site survey.

“The Vietnamese Prime Minister also suggested the two countries cooperate to implement signed documents on railway links, modern railway development effectively,” VTV reported.

The two Asian neighbours have repeatedly showed interest in boosting rail links but have not announced concrete plans or the estimated costs to upgrade connections.

The main route relies on tracks connecting Kunming in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan to Hanoi and the Vietnamese port city of Haiphong. That railway was built by the French during their colonisation of Vietnam more than a century ago and is still in use in Vietnam. China has replaced its route with high-speed connections.

On Saturday (October 12, 2024), the National Payment Corp of Vietnam and China’s UnionPay International signed an agreement to deploy cross-border payment between the two countries.

New Delhi:

Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reached New Delhi late on Tuesday evening for a three-day state visit which is expected to further strengthen the age-old ties between the two countries.

“Warm welcome to PM Phạm Minh Chinh of Vietnam as he arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. India and Vietnam share civilisational links and a longstanding friendship based on mutual trust. The visit will further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The Vietnamese PM is scheduled to participate in various programmes and business events on Wednesday. He will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.

On the same day, Pham Minh Chinh will visit the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and then hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will also host a luncheon in honour of the visiting delegation.

Chinh is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the course of his visit.

“India considers Vietnam as a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

India-Vietnam relations have been on the upswing since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hanoi in 2016.

PM Modi has maintained Vietnam’s importance as an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision, while seeking to enhance the scope of the bilateral relationship – including defence partnership – besides working for expeditious progress on the existing initiatives.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)