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Vietnam has given Chinese President Xi Jinping red carpet treatment at the start of a state visit as the two communist neighbors try to broaden their economic ties and work on resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Xi and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, reviewed an honor guard Sunday and headed for talks behind closed doors. It was Xi's first overseas trip since consolidating his power at a party congress last month.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang said during a joint news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday that his country wants to end disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful means.