A Vietnamese singer who performed at a welcome banquet held for visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hanoi on Monday evening said she hopes the enduring China-Vietnam friendship can be enhanced through music and culture.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended a welcome banquet which was hosted by the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.
During the banquet, singer Do To Hoa performed a notable Chinese song "On the Land of Hope", which features rousing lyrics telling of the prosperity and strength of the country.
She noted that this was her fourth time singing at a welcome banquet for President Xi and said she felt "extremely honored" to perform this duty once again.
"I feel honored and proud to have such a precious opportunity. This is both an encouragement and motivation for me. I very much hope this visit by General Secretary and President Xi Jinping will not only bring more opportunities for cooperation in the political and economic fields, but also help our artists perform for the people of the two countries through cultural channels, and enhance mutual understanding of history, culture, customs and other area," she said.
"I hope that through music, [which serves as] the bridge of friendship, I can more deeply touch the hearts of the two peoples," added the singer.
Xi arrived in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Monday for a two-day state visit to the country at the invitation of To Lam and Luong Cuong.
The visit to Vietnam marks Xi's first overseas trip of the year and the first stop on his three-nation tour to Southeast Asia, which also includes visits to Malaysia and Cambodia.
Vietnamese singer hopes music, culture can help deepen China-Vietnam friendship
Slovenia has become the first European Union member state to bring in fuel rationing as a way of managing disruption to supply caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Under the new measure, customers with private vehicles will be restricted to 50 liters per day with a 200-liter limit for companies and other special cases such as farmers. The government had already begun releasing strategic reserves in an effort to stabilize the market.
Across the country, long queues have formed at petrol stations, with some locations reporting limited availability of diesel. Notices warning customers about shortages have become increasingly common, reflecting the strain on supply chains.
Despite the visible pressure, many drivers said they are not engaging in panic buying.
"I think that's nonsense. Even if the price goes up ten cents it is not a disaster," said Robert, a motorcyclist.
Others, however, expressed concern over how the situation has been handled.
"I wish they would have released fuel reserves sooner and bought more reserves of the fuel for which we knew a month ago there was going to be difficulties," said Severin, a car driver.
Even with the release of strategic fuel reserves, logistical challenges remain a key issue. Many distributors store fuel outside the country, and transport capacity has struggled to keep pace with the recent spike in demand.
Analysts said consumption has increased sharply, driven in part by behavior linked to previous crises.
"They still remember 2022, when the prices were higher for a longer period of time, so they are hoarding the gasoline if they can. They're buying as much as they can, and I think that's the main reason," said Karel Lipnik, a financial analyst at Delo, a national daily newspaper in Slovenia.
Cross-border demand is also contributing to the strain. Slovenia's relatively low fuel prices compared to neighboring countries have attracted foreign buyers, further increasing consumption.
"Slovenia has the lowest price within all the neighboring countries, and it's also spring, so a lot of farmers buy gasoline to do some farming on the fields," Lipnik said.
While fuel prices in Slovenia remain state-regulated, the impact of global market disruptions is becoming increasingly evident. Analysts warned that the period of stable and relatively low fuel prices may be coming to an end, as external shocks continue to influence supply and demand.
Slovenia caps fuel purchases amid energy shortage
