China’s Xi hosts Vietnamese leader Lam

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday hosted the visiting Vietnamese President To Lam in Beijing, state media reported.

Xi held a welcome ceremony for Lam, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

The ceremony included a 21-gun salute-the highest protocol accorded to a head of state, according to Vietnam News.

Lam arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day maiden overseas trip since his election last week.

China is the first country Lam is visiting after he was unanimously elected as the state president last Tuesday for the next five years.

Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at over $260 billion in 2024.