Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) meets with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of China Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 25

Phuc, who is in Beijing to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, conveyed regards from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong to the Chinese leader.

The Vietnamese PM congratulated China on the achievements that the country has made in national construction, and wished the second Belt and Road Forum a success.

PM Phuc appreciated the development of ties between the two countries and parties in the recent time and took the occasion to affirm that Vietnam consistently follows the external policy of independence, peace, cooperation and development, while attaching importance to promoting the stable, healthy and sustainable development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Vietnam welcomes and supports the Belt and Road initiative based on ensuring the principles of peaceful, equal and win-win cooperation, mutual respect and adherence to international law towards the goal of contributing to common development and prosperity of all countries, the PM said.

He proposed that Vietnam and China increase the exchange of high-level visits, bolster exchanges and cooperation between their sectors and all-level administrations, make effective use of existing cooperative mechanisms from central to local levels, and focus their guidance on the prompt settlement of difficulties to well implement high-level agreements reached between the two parties and countries.

PM Phuc also called for promoting result-oriented cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, national defence and security; expanding people-to-people and youth exchanges; effectively orientating public opinion and the media; and organising activities to mark the 70th founding anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations.

He urged the two sides to improve the effectiveness of economic cooperation and appreciated bilateral joint efforts to open up their markets for better trade balance, while welcoming China to carry out big projects using advanced and environmentally-friendly technology in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese PM suggested that the two countries enhance collaboration in managing and sustainably using water resources of the Mekong River and other rivers that they share; extend the bilateral agreement on the sea fishing hotline; work together in monitoring nuclear safety; and continue to coordinate to well implement the three documents on the Vietnam-China land border.

Regarding the sea issues, PM Phuc said the two sides should continue to adhere to the common perception and agreements of high-ranking leaders of the two parties and countries and the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea, while consistently addressing sea issues by peaceful measures in line with international law, towards making progress on the demarcation of waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf in 2020. He also held that the two sides should fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and push forward negotiations on the building of a binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in order to maintain peace and stability in the waters.

Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping welcomed PM Phuc and the Vietnamese delegation to the second Belt and Road Forum, saying that their attendance demonstrates the importance that the Vietnamese Party and State attach to the China-Vietnam ties and contributes to the success of the forum.

Xi Jinping affirmed that the Chinese Party and State attach importance to the relationship with Vietnam and are of the same mind with Vietnam on maintaining high-level meetings, enhancing political trust, promoting substantive cooperation across the fields, expanding people-to-people exchanges, strengthening the traditional friendship and well controlling differences for the stable, healthy and sustainable development of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

China supports Vietnam in promoting its role in multilateral mechanisms, particularly Vietnam’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, he said. –VNA