Backgrounder: Major events in China-Vietnam ties

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Thursday for a two-day state visit to the neighboring country.

It is Xi's first visit to Vietnam as China'a head of state and the top leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The following is a chronology of major events in China-Vietnam relations since their normalization in 1991:

In November 1991, Do Muoi, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), and Vo Van Kiet, chairman of the Council of Ministers, paid an official visit to China, during which a joint communique was signed marking the normalization of bilateral ties.

In October 1993, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and his Vietnamese counterpart, Vu Khoan, formally signed in Hanoi an agreement on the basic principles for resolving territorial and border issues existing between the two countries.

In November 1993, Vietnamese President Le Duc Anh paid an official goodwill visit to China, the first by a Vietnamese head of state since the visit of late President Ho Chi Minh in 1959.

In November 1994, Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid an official goodwill visit to Vietnam, during which accords were inked on the establishment of a joint commission for economic and trade cooperation, automobile transportation and mutual inspection of the quality of imports and exports.

On Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 1995, Do Muoi visited China and a joint communique issued at the end of the trip highlighted the principles, agreements and understanding reached by the two sides through various high-level meetings since 1991.

In October 1998, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai paid an official visit to China, during which he met with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. Accords were signed on cross-border trade, consular cooperation and mutual judicial assistance.

On Feb. 25-March 2, 1999, CPV General Secretary Le Kha Phieu paid a visit to China, during which a joint statement was issued setting forth the principle of building long-term, stable, future-oriented, good-neighborly and all-around cooperative bilateral relations.

In December 1999, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam signed in Hanoi the landmark Land Boundary Treaty between the two countries.

On July 6, 2000, China and Vietnam exchanged instruments of ratification on their land border treaty, which took effect on the same day.

In December 2000, Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong paid an official goodwill visit to China, during which a joint statement was issued on the all-around development of bilateral relations in the new century. The two sides also signed accords on the demarcation of a sea border in the Beibu Gulf and fisheries cooperation in the waters.

In June 2004, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai paid a five-day official visit to China with an aim to strengthen the comprehensive cooperative relations between the two countries.

In October 2004, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao paid an official visit to Vietnam and attended the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting summit in Hanoi.

In November 2006, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Vietnam to further promote the two countries' good neighborly and cooperative relations.

In September 2011, at the fifth meeting of the China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation, the two countries agreed to properly handle their disputes over the South China Sea in accordance with the agreement reached by leaders of the two countries, international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

In November 2014, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang attended the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing.

In April 2015, CPV General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid a visit to China, during which the two countries issued a joint communique, saying they are major neighboring countries with similar political systems and development paths.

In September 2015, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang attended the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing.

During a meeting with Xi, the two sides reached an important consensus on strengthening the implementation of China's "Belt and Road" initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, as well as production capacity cooperation to boost the development of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.