China’s Xi arrives in Vietnam as anger brews over visit

HANOI (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hanoi yesterday for a visit that has drawn the ire of Vietnamese nationalists at a time of bubbling conflict over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The communist neighbors have long celebrated their political and economic ties, but in recent years tensions have flared over a decades-old feud about island chains in the contested waters.

Hours before Xi’s visit — the first by a Chinese president to Vietnam in 10 years — anti-China activists staged small but rare protests in the heart of the Vietnamese capital and southern Ho Chi Minh City.

“Protesting Xi Jinping’s visit,” said one of the placards held aloft by about a dozen demonstrators in Hanoi, as others carried pictures of Xi marked with an “X.”

But unlike protests earlier this week, they were quickly disbanded, witnesses told

AFP, saying demonstrators in the capital were funnelled into buses and driven away.

In Ho Chi Minh City, social media reports said around 20 people were detained after a larger anti-China protest with a video showing a bloodied demonstrator following clashes with police.

Rallies are rare in authoritarian Vietnam, but the ruling regime has in recent years tolerated low levels of dissent against its main ally China.

Anger against Xi’s visit has also been brewing online — a more common outlet for grievances despite the routine arrests of political bloggers.

“Immediately end activities which threaten the lives, property and right to freedom of Vietnamese fishermen,” said a petition signed by hundreds and shared on Facebook, referring to the disputed isles.