Chinese, Vietnamese Defense Ministers Agree to Set up Naval Hotline

China and Vietnam hold their first joint ground forces drill in Guangxi, near the shared border, marking a new phase in bilateral military cooperation.
File Image: Vietnam's Defense Minister Phan Văn Giang and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun inspect an honor guard on April 11, 2025, at the border crossing in China's Yunnan province. Image via Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense.

China’s new defense minister, Dong Jun, wrapped up a two-day visit to Vietnam on Friday, his first trip overseas since taking office, during which he held talks with Vietnam’s Defense Minister, Phan Văn Giang.

The two met on Thursday and Friday at a border crossing in China’s southern Yunnan province to discuss elevating military ties between the two countries and plans to launch a new navy hotline intended to defuse maritime tensions in the South China Sea.

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by Eric Olander

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