Chinese President Xi Jinping (R), who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends a welcoming ceremony held by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong before their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov. 5, 2015.(Photo: Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday kicked off his first state visit to Vietnam since taking over presidency in 2013, vowing to build stronger relations as the two neighbors have seen warming ties and stabilized cooperation in the past year.[Special coverage]
GRAND WELCOME
Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended a formal welcoming ceremony with full military honors and a 21-gun salute, shortly after landing at Noi Bai International Airport in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
"I hope my visit could help cement our traditional friendship, outline the future development of our relations, and lift the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level," Xi said in a statement upon arrival.
Greeted by beaming local children waving flowers and flags of both countries, Xi inspected a Vietnamese honor guard with his host Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, as goose-stepping soldiers shouted well-wishing slogans to the two leaders.
In the evening, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, attended a welcome banquet held by Trong and President Truong Tan Sang.
"It is natural for the Vietnamese side to extend top-level welcome arrangements for such an important visit," said Kieu Tinh, a Vietnamese journalist and commentator.
STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
After rolling out the red carpet for Xi at the Presidential Palace on central Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square, Trong accompanied his Chinese guest to walk a short distance to the CPV headquarters for talks.
