Raul Castro meets Hanoi top brass
9 July 2012 12:59 PM GMT
Cuban President Raul Castro met with Vietnamese leaders on Sunday following a visit to China, as Havana looks to old communist allies while it attempts to push through historic economic reforms.
Castro, who arrived yesterday in his first visit to Hanoi as head of state, is in the country to ‘consolidate and reinforce relations’ between the two states, Vietnam foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said.
The Cuban leader was given a guard of honour on Sunday as he embarked on a series of talks with the top three figures in the autocratic regime - Communist Party secretary general Nguyen Phu Trong, President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
His appearances in China and Vietnam, two of a handful of remaining communist countries left in the world, come as Havana seeks to emulate their achievements in incorporating elements of capitalism into economic reforms.
During Castro's earlier four-day visit to China he met President Hu Jintao and secured pledges from Beijing for financial aid, among other measures, to help the country in sectors such as technology and healthcare. The visit ‘is important for Vietnam because it will help to consolidate a traditional political and ideological alliance’ at a time when Hanoi and Beijing are at loggerheads over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, he said.
Castro, who arrived yesterday in his first visit to Hanoi as head of state, is in the country to ‘consolidate and reinforce relations’ between the two states, Vietnam foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said.
The Cuban leader was given a guard of honour on Sunday as he embarked on a series of talks with the top three figures in the autocratic regime - Communist Party secretary general Nguyen Phu Trong, President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
His appearances in China and Vietnam, two of a handful of remaining communist countries left in the world, come as Havana seeks to emulate their achievements in incorporating elements of capitalism into economic reforms.
During Castro's earlier four-day visit to China he met President Hu Jintao and secured pledges from Beijing for financial aid, among other measures, to help the country in sectors such as technology and healthcare. The visit ‘is important for Vietnam because it will help to consolidate a traditional political and ideological alliance’ at a time when Hanoi and Beijing are at loggerheads over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, he said.
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