Xi Jinping arrived in Vietnam for a state visit and received a respectful and warm welcome at the airstair by party and state leaders of VietNam including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The visit on Tuesday comes three months after United States President Joe Biden travelled to Vietnam as the major powers vie for influence in the Southeast Asian nation.

Later in the day, the sides signed 37 agreements, including on cross-border rail development and trade. The two countries have also agreed to conduct joint patrols in the Tonkin Gulf, according to reporters who witnessed the signing ceremony.

In an opinion piece published in Vietnam’s Nhan Dan newspaper before the visit on Tuesday, Xi wrote: “Asia’s future is in the hands of no one but Asians.”