Chinese President Xi Jinping used his visit to Vietnam to urge joint resistance to “unilateral bullying,” in a veiled reference to the US. Although Vietnam signed 45 new cooperation deals and warmly welcomed Xi, initial state media coverage omitted his pointed remarks. Both leaders attended the launch of a Vietnam-China railway cooperation committee, which includes an USD 8.4 bln cross-border railway project linking Lao Cai to Haiphong port via Hanoi.