Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung made the remarks when fielding questions raised by media outlets at the end of the PM’s tour of China from September 10-15 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The visit is extremely significant, indicating the importance the Vietnamese Party and State gave to the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China, the diplomat said, mentioning to it as the first by a Vietnamese leader to the neighboring country after the 12 th National Party Congress and the first session of the 14 th National Assembly.

Vietnam has defined developing a stable, healthy, and long lasting relationship with China, a powerful country and a leading economic and trade partner, a strategic choice and one of the top priorities in its foreign policy, which is important for safeguarding a peaceful and stable environment for the country to grow and accomplish its goal of industrialization and modernization, Trung said.

During the visit, PM Phuc attended the 13 th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning city of Guangxi province before heading to Beijing for a series of meetings and talks with Chinese leaders. He also visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and had meetings with leading officials and businesses there.

According to the diplomat, PM Phuc and Chinese leaders reached consensus on intensifying political trust through various measures, including maintaining regular contacts between Party and State leaders to promptly deal with big issues crucial to the two countries’ relations.

They agreed to ratchet up results-oriented cooperation for a balanced and efficient development, by expanding partnership in investment, finance, agriculture, environment, science-technology, and transportation while improving the imbalance of bilateral trade.

The Chinese side said the country has increased the import of Vietnamese commodities, including rice and will support Vietnam to set up trade promotion offices in its localities.

The countries’ leaders consented to efficiently manage differences and stabilize the situation at sea, by stringently abiding by the bilateral agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, soundly using the existing mechanisms, fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), early compiling a Code of Conduct, and avoiding taking any actions that could complicate and expand disputes, to safeguard peace and stability in the East Sea.

PM Phuc’s participation in the 13 th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning city and his visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region created opportunities for trade and investment between Vietnam and China, the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

VNA