Xi visits Vietnam as China seeks to counter US influence
Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first trip to Vietnam in six years Tuesday, where he and leaders in Hanoi signed 37 different deals on diplomatic relations, railways and telecommunications projects.
Initially, 45 deals were proposed but eight — tied to critical and rare materials — went unsigned.
The visit comes as China and the US vie for primacy in the region, with the US and Vietnam having recently upgraded relations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" with one another when President Joe Biden visited in September.
That September visit was part of a push by Washington to contain China while seeking to secure vital high-tech manufacturing materials from Vietnam. Semiconductor projects featured prominently in the US-Vietnam agreement, with Vietnamese officials claiming US chip maker Nvidia wants to set up shop in the Southeast Asian country.
What does 'shared future' mean? It depends which side you ask
Though China and Vietnam said they sought to "continue to deepen and increase bilateral relations" and agreed to build a "community with a shared future," Xi was unable to secure the rare earths deals he sought.
The two countries signed two memoranda of understanding for cross-border rail projects. Transport between the two nominally communist countries would allow the export of agricultural and industrial materials to China, as well as the import of Chinese components for assembly in Vietnam in an expansion of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China's so-called Digital Silk Road project may also have gotten a boost as the two nations signed as yet undisclosed telecommunications and digital economy agreements.
China and Vietnam debated the true meaning of the phrase "shared future" for months before Xi's visit, with the Chinese tending toward their translation "common destiny" and the Vietnamese preferring the more open idea of a "common future."
Vietnam's 'bamboo diplomacy' seeks to balance ties with China and US
Xi's visit on the heels of Biden's highlights Vietnam's so-called "bamboo diplomacy," in which Hanoi seeks to navigate relations with Beijing and Washington.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.