China, Vietnam pledge to manage maritime differences
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnam’s top leaders agreed to manage disputes over the South China Sea amid strained ties made more uncertain by an upcoming reshuffle of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party.
Any cracks in relations were covered over as Xi met party heavyweights, some of whom have been wooed by the United States since a breakdown in Sino-Vietnamese ties last year following China’s parking of an oil rig in contested waters.
