From Jaishree Balasubramanian

Hanoi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left Vietnam for China to attend the G20 summit beginning tomorrow after wrapping up his two-day maiden visit to the country that witnessed the signing of 12 agreements.

“A packed day of diplomacy in Vietnam ends as PM @narendramodi emplanes for Hangzhou to attend G20 Summit,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photo showing a red carpet goodbye for Modi.

The first leg of his 2-nation tour saw India extending a USD 500 million line of credit to Vietnam to deepen their defence cooperation, amid China’s claims in the disputed South China Sea.

Bilateral ties were also upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership besides inking of 12 agreements including in defence, trade and sharing white shipping information. Vietnam currently has Comprehensive Strategic Partnership only with Russia and China.

“I thank the people and government of Vietnam for the very good hospitality during my visit,” Modi said.

“Thank you Vietnam. I will remember this visit as a memorable and productive one, that laid the ground for even better India-Vietnam ties,” he said in another tweet.

The Prime Minister’s final engagement during the visit was a call on Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party.

The two-day G20 summit beginning tomorrow in China’s picturesque city of Hangzhou will see Modi join US President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping along with other top world leaders to discuss global efforts needed to boost economic growth and trade.

PTI