China and Vietnam both should be happy with the positive outcome of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang's visit to Beijing this week. Though it is unrealistic to expect the differences between the two neighbors to be resolved during a single visit by a head of state, high-level exchanges are needed to help improve bilateral relations and ease tensions over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Such visits are not only in the interests of both countries, but also send a positive signal to the region at large.

President Xi Jinping, during his three-hour meeting with Sang on Wednesday, said both sides should "unswervingly march together along the path of friendly cooperation" despite the problems and distractions. Sang, on his part, promised to carry forward the traditional friendship with China and forge a stronger bilateral relationship to create a favorable atmosphere for both sides' development.

Both leaders endorsed multiple initiatives aimed at facilitating mutual understanding, deepening mutual trust and expanding cooperation in a wide range of fields. They pledged to raise the bilateral trade volume to $60 billion before 2015, increase people-to-people exchanges and cooperate on multilateral levels.