"In Vietnam's multi-layered diplomacy, relations with China hold a 'special priority'—an objective requirement, a strategic choice, and a top priority," says Gu Xiaosong, a professor at the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University. "China is the only country that combines the roles of a neighbour state, a major power, and a traditionally friendly nation."

A delegation led by Jaume Duch Guillot, Minister for European Union and Foreign Action, Government of Catalonia in Spain, rounded off their two-day visit to Guangdong on March 23.