Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam is expected to visit China next week, marking his first overseas trip since his appointment in early August, three officials involved said on August 12, Reuters reported.
The visit reflects the strong ties between the two Communist-led neighbors, despite potential tensions over sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea, a vital trade route and potentially rich in energy resources, which China claims almost in its entirety, angering several countries in the region.
General Secretary and President To Lam will arrive in China on August 18, according to two Vietnamese officials and a diplomat in Hanoi. During the two-day visit, he is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials. However, the sources declined to be named because the visit has not been officially announced.
The Chinese and Vietnamese Foreign Ministries have not yet commented on this information.
To Lam, 67, has been president since May and has visited Laos and Cambodia. He also met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hanoi in June and had a phone call with Putin shortly after his appointment as general secretary.
This visit to China will be Mr. To Lam’s first international activity since officially becoming General Secretary on August 3, after his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong passed away two weeks earlier.
Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden have sent congratulations to Mr. Lin after he took office. Some investors in the region hope that Mr. Lin’s leadership will help stabilize the political situation and push through stalled projects and reforms.
According to Vietnamese and international officials, To Lam, who was previously Minister of Public Security, is likely to give up his position as President in the coming months, possibly when Vietnam’s National Assembly convenes its regular session in October.