By Carl Thayer
The two rivals agree to “properly settle” their maritime disputes.
It is now clear that the August 26-27, 2014 visit to Beijing by Le Hong Anh, special envoy of the Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), marked an important inflection point in Sino-Vietnamese relations following the HD 981 oil rig crisis of the preceding three months.
Anh, who is also a senior member of the VCP Politburo, travelled to Beijing at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On the eve of his departure Vietnam released a statement that said the purpose of his visit was to “promote the healthy, stable and long-term development of relations between the two parties and states.” The statement also expressed regret at the violent anti-China riots that led to the burning of Chinese factories as well as offering assurances that Vietnam would guarantee the safety of Chinese workers and companies operating in the country.
Anh met with Xi Jinping, Secretary General of the CCP and state president; Liu Yunshan, secretary of the CCP Central Committee and member of the Politburo Standing Committee; and Wang Jiarui, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Xi set the tone for Anh’s visit by telling his guest, “a neighbor cannot be moved away and it is in the common interests of both sides to be friendly to each other.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat