A Chinese general’s shortened visit to Vietnam has raised concerns about whether this could be a sign of a major change in relations. China and Vietnam are currently involved in a dispute over territory they both claim to own in the South China Sea. General Fan Changlong is part of a group of Chinese officials that came to visit the Vietnamese capital Hanoi this week. The general suddenly left the country after a private meeting with Vietnamese defense officials on Tuesday. There are some differences in public and private reports of what happened. Chinese and Vietnamese state-run media report that defense relations are going well. They say the defense ministries of both countries reached an agreement on how to train members of their militaries. But experts say government sources told them that discussions about the disputed South China Sea might have led Fan to cut short his visit.
