Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, has passed away. In response, Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President visited the Vietnamese embassy in Beijing on Saturday to pay his respects. Unlike having his prime minister or foreign minister attend on his behalf or calling to offer condolences, Xi came and highly praised him.
In his tribute, Xi Jinping praised Nguyen Phu Trong as a "staunch Marxist and a great leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Vietnamese people." Xi emphasized Trong's unwavering dedication to the CPV, Vietnam, its people, and the cause of socialism in Vietnam, which garnered deep respect and admiration from Vietnam's party, military, and populace.
Xi and Trong had maintained close contact and developed a strong camaraderie over the past decade. Last year, they jointly elevated bilateral relations to a China-Vietnam community with a shared future and a comprehensive strategic partnership, a level of relationship second only to the close ties between Pakistan and Russia.
The Chinese public mourned the loss of such a Vietnamese leader known for his friendly stance towards China and his advocacy against corruption. In 2016, Nguyen Phu Trong proposed "bamboo diplomacy," which enabled Vietnam to maintain a delicate balance in its relations with both China and the United States. Consequently, Chinese people are closely monitoring who will succeed Nguyen Phu Trong as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and how this might affect Sino-Vietnamese relations.
Chinese scholar Zhao Weihua, Deputy Director of the Center for China’s Relations with Neighboring Countries at Fudan University, believes that Tô Lâm will likely assume the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, predicting continuity in Vietnam's balanced foreign policy. This stance reflects a consensus among Vietnamese domestic politicians and scholars on the importance of avoiding a one-sided foreign policy. Additionally, the geographic proximity, cultural similarities, shared political system, and mutual engagement in socialist development bind China and Vietnam closely. Economic and trade exchanges between the two nations remain robust, with China being Vietnam's largest trading partner for over two decades, reciprocated as Vietnam is China's top trading partner within ASEAN. Both sides have strong incentives to maintain friendly relations.
However, there are concerns following Vietnam's recent submission of a maritime delimitation in the South China Sea shortly after Nguyen Phu Trong's passing, which covers the entire central maritime area. This move is seen as indicative of an unfriendly stance from Vietnam.
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