Vietnam and China have reached common perceptions as manifested in their joint communiqué, laying a solid foundation for their bilateral ties to develop in a healthy and sustainable manner, according to head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan.

Discussing the goals and outcomes of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s China visit from April 7-10 in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency at the end of the visit, the Party official said the visit was significant to bilateral ties as it is the highest-level meeting between the two countries’ leaders since China had a new leadership elected in the 18 th National Party Congress, particularly when the countries mark their 65 th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

He said the two countries’ ties have grown strongly since the normalisation despite some periods of difficulties, stressing the success demarcation of border on land and in the Tonkin Gulf, as well as the establishment of a bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. China is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam.

However, the official noted that bilateral relations were affected by the tension on the East Sea, putting negative impacts on the sentiments of the Vietnamese people and bilateral cooperative activities.

For this reason, Quan said the focus of the visit was to discuss steps to fully restore and promote mutually-beneficial collaboration in every field, strengthen mutual trust and friendship as well as seek measures to well manage the situation and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea for the sake of the two peoples, the region and the world at large.

Elaborating on key outcomes of the visit, he said Vietnam and China issued a 9-point joint communiqué detailing their common perceptions on bilateral ties and on such basis, they defined the orientation and key practical measures to boost the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Firstly, both countries will well implement the Master Plan on Vietnam – China Economic and Trade Cooperation for the 2012-2016 period and the portfolio of key cooperative projects and signed economic and trade agreements.

The Chinese side agreed to encourage their firms to expand the imports of Vietnamese competitive goods as well as invest in Vietnam while pledging to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to tap into the Chinese market. The two countries will promote infrastructure connectivity projects, and joint work across agriculture, manufacturing, services, science-technology, health care and quarantines, etc.

They declared the establishment of Working Groups on currency and infrastructure and signed 7 cooperative documents in several areas.

Another gain is the bilateral consent on trust building measures such as facilitating high-level visits, with Party General Secretary Xi Jinping accepting an invitation to visit Vietnam, Quan said, adding that a cooperation agreement between the two Parties was signed and friendship activities between the two legislatures and peoples will expand, especially among young generations and localities.

He also said the sea issues were discussed in an open and straightforward atmosphere, with the two sides stressing the need to seriously abide by the common perceptions reached by the two countries’ Party and State leaders and the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of Vietnam-China sea-related issues; effectively utilise the Government-level negotiation mechanism on Vietnam-China boundary and territorial issues, persistently use consultation and friendly negotiations to seek basic and long-term solutions acceptable to both sides, actively study transitional solutions that do not affect stances and policies of each side, including studying and discussing cooperation for common development.

Vietnam and China will work together to manage disputes at sea, fully and effectively implement the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea” (DOC) and soon create a “Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea” (COC) on the basis of consultation and consensus, not taking actions that can further complicate and expand disputes, timely and satisfactorily settling arising problems, maintaining the overall situation of the bilateral relations and peace and stability in the East Sea.

Quan noted that the two sides agreed to promote activities of the Working Group on cooperation for common development at sea, increase cooperation in less sensitive areas, firmly pushing negotiations on demarcation of the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf, actively boost cooperation for common development in these waters, and start joint surveys of the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf within this year.

He said during all talks and meetings, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong always emphasised the request for strong guidance and concrete actions to implement the agreements in line with the spirit “words go well with deeds”.

Asked about his view on the prospect of bilateral ties following the visit, Quan said he believes the two countries will fully resume and further promote cooperation across sectors, noting that the reached common perceptions will be the foundation for maintaining peace and stability at sea. He expressed hope that positive developments would be seen in sea-related issues.

Chinese hamlet impresses Vietnamese Party General Secretary

The Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was impressed with the socio-economic achievements of Chinese hamlet Da Ying Cun in Yuxi city in Yunnan province, which he visited on the last day of his four-day official visit to China.

After being introduced to the 600-year history of Da Ying Cun, its production and land management models, methods of mobilising financial resources, income allocation and social welfare, General Secretary Trong hailed Da Ying Cun, which has a total area of 2.6 sq. km and over 5,000 residents, as a strong model of rural industrialisation, modernisation and urbanisation.

The hamlet has eight large-scale cooperatives and its total economic production value reached 8.7 billion CNY (1.4 billion USD) in 2014, with per capita income at 25,000 CHY (4,024 USD). It is dubbed The First Village in Yunnan.

As part of the Party leader’s visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and some senior officials toured two top enterprises in Yunnan: the Kunming Steel Corporation and the Yunnan Grid Company.

Deputy PM Minh appreciated the Kunming Steel Corporation’s investment in the Vietnam-China Metallurgy and Mineral Company in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

At the Yunnan Grid Company, Deputy PM Minh said Vietnam welcomed Chinese companies to invest in Vietnam.

As of the end of 2014, the Yunnan Grid Company had provided 2 billion kWh of electricity for Vietnam. It has also invested in several power plant and infrastructure projects in Vietnam.

Party chief thanks Chinese leaders for warm reception

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sent a message to Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping on April 10 expressing his thanks for the warm reception by the top leader and other Chinese officials and people during his just-ended official visit to China.

The message also conveyed the belief that the positive outcomes of his visit will contribute to enhancing friendship and political trust as well as deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China for the development of each country and the benefit of their respective people. He also pointed to its promotion of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The Party chief said he brought home a deep impression of a beautiful and strongly developing China with hospitable people. He also expressed his firm faith in the strong development of both countries’ friendship and partnership in his message.

He wished China’s Party and State leaders good health and happiness and hoped the country would see greater achievements during its all-round reform process.

He also wished for constant and firm growth of Vietnam-China relations.-

Party chief concludes China visit

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong left Kunming city, Yunnan province for Hanoi on April 10, concluding his four-day visit to China at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and State President Xi Jinping.

During the stay, the Party chief held talks with Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping; met with member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee and Premier of the State Council Li Keqiang, member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Dejiang; member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Yu Zhengsheng.

In a friendly and candid atmosphere, the two sides informed one another of the situations in their respective Parties and countries, discussed issues in-depth and reached broad common perceptions on the orientation and major measures to intensify ties between the two Parties and countries.

Concluding the visit, they issued the Vietnam-China joint communiqué affirming the outcomes of the visit and key perceptions reached between Party and State leaders in order to further develop the Vietnam-China neighbourly friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable fashion for the sake of the two peoples and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Party leaders Nguyen Phu Trong and Xi Jinping met and addressed the 15 th friendly gathering of Vietnam – China youth and toured an exhibition of the outcomes of 10 Party ideology workshops.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also met Chinese war veterans, families of those who assisted Vietnam during the war, staff from the Vietnamese embassy and the Vietnamese student community in Beijing.

In Yunnan, he learned about the local urban development model, visited the Kunming Urban Planning Museum and met the staff of the Vietnamese Consulate General and student community.

The Party leader also received executives of several Chinese corporations active in Vietnam.

Officials of the Vietnamese delegation held bilateral meetings with Chinese partners, attended the launch of Vietjet Air flights linking Vietnamese and Chinese localities, and toured some Yunnan firms.

VNA