"Shared Future" Between China and Vietnam

China and Vietnam announced today, despite their longstanding disputes over territorial claims in the South China Sea, that they want to strengthen relations and build a "shared future," just three months after Hanoi bolstered its official ties with the United States. During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Hanoi, his first visit to Vietnam as Chinese president in six years, 37 cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries. According to one of the signed agreements, the countries signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct joint patrols in the Tonkin Gulf in the South China Sea, indicating that their tensions may ease. Senior officials from both countries urged the enhancement of the railway line between Kunming in southern China and Haiphong port in northern Vietnam, which passes through areas in Vietnam rich in rare minerals.