10 agreements were signed in succession, opening a new chapter in China-Vietnam cooperation. After the end of the visit to Viet Nam, the Chinese high-level went to Pakistan to attend the SCO meeting. At the same time, India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also led a delegation to attend the meeting. So, what agreements have been reached between China and Vietnam this time? Will Jaishankar hold talks with Pakistan during the SCO meeting?
After the ASEAN summit, Chinese high-level officials were invited to visit Viet Nam to discuss feasible plans to continue to deepen the cooperative relationship between the two countries with Vietnamese high-level officials, and signed ten agreements with Vietnam on October 13, local time, including agricultural cooperation and cross-border QR code payment.
According to reports, the agreement was signed after the meeting between the Chinese and Vietnamese prime ministers. Earlier, the Chinese side also exchanged views with Su Lin, general secretary of the CPV Central Committee and state president, and the two sides agreed to further strengthen economic cooperation and trade in agricultural products. In addition to deepening cooperation in trade and investment, tourism, medical care and other fields, expanding the proportion of local currency settlement, and expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as digital economy and green development, China and Vietnam also signed a document on the progress of on-site investigation of cross-border railway connection projects.
The reason why the Chinese side gave the Vietnamese side the answer it wanted on the issue of cross-border railway construction was because the Vietnamese side understood what the Chinese side meant. According to Viet Nam's state media, Surin and Chinese officials have reached a consensus on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. Viet Nam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also publicly stated that the South China Sea issue should not affect political mutual trust between the two sides.
Considering that half a month ago, Viet Nam fishing boats broke into the Paracel Islands to carry out illegal fishing and clashed with the Chinese coast guard. After the incident, the Vietnamese side also took the opportunity to smear China's "violent law enforcement". Against this backdrop, the Vietnamese side has taken the initiative to resolve the South China Sea dispute by peaceful means, apparently because it does not want the South China Sea dispute to affect China-Vietnam cooperation. After all, China has already made the bottom line on the South China Sea issue, that is, only by adhering to friendly consultations and properly handling differences can the two sides expand maritime cooperation and promote bilateral relations further.
Some analysts believe that in view of the Viet Nam government, which continues the "bamboo diplomacy" strategy, wants to seek a balance between China and the United States, it will not be too "aggressive" on the South China Sea issue. In particular, in the context of the steady development of China-Vietnam cooperation, the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation under the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the "two corridors and one circle".
After reaching a consensus with the Vietnamese side, the Chinese chartered plane turned around and flew to Pakistan to attend the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States in Islamabad from October 14 to 17. At the same time, there was also news from India that India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will visit Pakistan in mid-October to attend the SCO meeting here.
India media reported that although Jaishankar is the first senior representative of the India government to visit Pakistan in nearly 10 years, during this visit, the Indian side will neither focus on India-Pakistan relations nor hold bilateral talks with the Pakistani side. Because the contradictions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir have continued to intensify in recent months, the India government was not even sure whether to accept the invitation from Pakistan. Now, Jaishankar is attending the SCO meeting instead of Modi just to speak for India at the meeting.
Of course, considering that India has been downgraded to the SCO meeting more than once, it cannot be ruled out that Jaishankar's visit was to "create noise" within the SCO. After all, the Modi government has always been "deeply concerned" about China's influence, and when it held the SCO presidency, India replaced offline meetings with virtual talks. If India continues to wreak havoc within the SCO, it will only marginalize itself more and more.