Party General Secretary hosts welcome ceremony for Chinese leader

Son Nguyen

Dec 12, 2023 / 08:07 PM

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong presided over an official welcoming ceremony for his Chinese counterpart and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and his spouse in Hanoi on December 12.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife presided over an official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his spouse in Hanoi on December 12.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosts a welcome ceremony for China's Communist Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping on December 12. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

The welcome ceremony was marked by a 21-cannon salute..

The Chinese leader and his wife are paying a state visit to Vietnam from December 12 to 13 at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife (second and first from right) preside over an official welcome ceremony for Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his wife. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Party General Secretary Trong and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping marched to the podium. A 21-cannon salute was fired in honor of the state guest. The two leaders then inspected the guard of honor of the Vietnam People's Army.

Twenty-one cannon salutes in honor of the General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China, Xi Jinping. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam comes on the heels of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and one year after Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's historic visit to China in October 2022.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife (right) greet General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife on December 12. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

The visit comes as Vietnam and China celebrate the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. It will mark a new historic milestone in bilateral relations.