President Xi calls to ease differences over South China Sea during talks with Vietnamese leader
Beijing (PTI): President Xi Jinping Monday called for "better management" of differences between China and Vietnam over their maritime disputes as he met Vietnam’s new top leader To Lam here, amidst increasing tensions in the disputed South China Sea.
Just two weeks ago, Lam took over as the general secretary of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party, a powerful post similar to one held by Xi, who heads the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) - the country’s top political position.
Lam succeeded Nguyen Phu Trong, who died last month after 13 years as leader.
Hosting Lam for crucial talks, Xi underscored that at the critical stage of national development and revitalization, China and Vietnam should consolidate the development pattern featuring higher political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper practical cooperation, stronger public support, closer multilateral coordination and cooperation, and better management and resolution of differences.
He welcomed Lam's State Visit to China - his first foreign trip after taking over power.
Xi said Lam’s gesture fully reflects the great importance the Vietnamese leader attaches to the relations between the two communist parties and the two countries, as well as the high level and strategic nature of China-Vietnam relations.
He expressed willingness to establish good working relations and personal friendship with Lam.
Xi said China takes Vietnam as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy and supports Vietnam in upholding the leadership of the CPV, taking the socialist path suited to its national conditions, and further advancing the cause of reform, opening up and socialist modernisation.
On his arrival in China, Lam said Vietnam accords top priority to ties with Beijing.
Though headed by the “brotherly Communist Parties”, tensions remain between China and Vietnam over their overlapping claims in the disputed South China Sea.
Both countries claim the Paracel and Spratly islands, and Vietnam has become more vocal about the disputes, drawing closer to India, the US and its allies.
Much to the chagrin of China, Vietnam in recent years has also upgraded its ties with India, the US and Japan to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the country’s highest designation for a diplomatic relationship, in an apparent attempt to have international support for itself in the event of any conflict with China.
Both countries fought a bitter war in 1979.
Lam’s visit is taking place amidst heightening tensions between China and the Philippines, backed by the US and Japan over the disputed South China Sea.
China claims most of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
Xi told Lam that China is ready to maintain close strategic communication and high-level exchanges with Vietnam, firmly adhere to mutual support, actively explore ways to expand synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Two Corridors and One Economic Circle strategy, accelerate the "hard connectivity" of railway, expressway and port infrastructure, enhance the "soft connectivity" of smart customs, and jointly build a secure and stable industrial and supply chain, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Lam, who arrived in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on August 18, said the older generations of leaders of the two parties and countries have forged deep friendships, and the Vietnamese people will never forget China's assistance in Vietnam's national liberation, independence and socialist construction.
He said that his party and country have always considered the development of relations with China as the top priority in their foreign policy and will strive to carry on the tradition of bilateral friendship created by the older generations of leaders of the two parties and countries.
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Sambhal violence orchestrated by BJP, govt to divert attention from poll rigging: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district over the survey of a mosque was "orchestrated" by the BJP, the government and the administration "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".
Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals in Sambhal on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.
Ten people have been detained and a probe was launched into the violence, an official said.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh bypoll results were declared and the Samajwadi Party managed to win just two seats while the BJP and its ally RLD bagged the other seven, Yadav levelled serious allegations against the police and administration.
"A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," the Samajwadi Party chief claimed.
Citing reports, he said several people were injured in the violence in Sambhal and asked when a survey of the mosque was already done, why was a new survey conducted again and "that too in the morning and without preparation?"
"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," Yadav said.
"What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices," the former UP chief minister alleged.
Asserting that in democracy, true victory comes from the people, not the system, he said, "The new democracy created by the BJP ensures that people cannot vote while the system dominates."
He added that whenever an impartial investigation takes place, and the truth comes out through booth recordings and CCTV footage, it will be evident that "voters did not cast their votes and someone else became the voter inside the booth".
Yadav claimed that on the polling day, the police and the administration removed the Samajwadi Party's almost all booth agents and many supporters who wanted to vote.
"If voters were prevented from voting, then who cast the votes? If Samajwadi Party votes didn't reach those booths and our candidate didn't get support, then who voted there? This is a serious issue," he said.
"Additionally, there were two types of slips, -- one with a red mark and another regular slip. We raised this issue on the voting day itself, stating that the administration had created such arrangements, leading to discrimination," Yadav alleged.
The Samajwadi Party's candidate for the Kundarki assembly bypoll Haji Rizwan too has alleged that his supporters were prevented from voting.
The BJP's Ramveer Singh won the bypoll in the Kundarki seat by a margin of over 1.45 lakh votes.
