Vietnam and China told to deepen strategic cooperation

Son welcomed Nong’s visit to Hanoi where he met with the General Secretary of the Steering Committee for China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation to promote the implementation of the common perceptions of senior leaders of the two Parties and States in all fields in 2024.

He expressed elation at the positive development trend and marked achievements the two countries have recorded in bilateral relations following reciprocal visits of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in October 2022. and Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in December 2023. He stressed the need for the two sides to concretize the high-level Joint Leaders’ Statement released during Xi’s Vietnam visit, in a drastic, effective and substantive manner, for the benefit of their businesses, localities and people.

Nong for his part briefed his host on the results of the meeting of the General Secretaries of the Steering Committee for China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation, and affirmed that China is ready to work with Vietnam to promote high-level strategic exchanges and strengthen cooperation in the fields of diplomacy - defense – security. The two sides agreed to deepen practical cooperation in all fields, especially in strategic development connections, transport infrastructure, and trade facilitation. They also agreed to well deploy mechanisms for people-to-people and local cooperation exchanges.

Son welcomed the results of the meeting and proposed that the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs effectively implement the signed agreement on cooperation; coordinate to well deploy exchanges and contacts at all levels in 2024; promote strategic development connections; and improve the quality and effectiveness of practical cooperation.

He expected that China would continue to increase the import of Vietnamese goods, including agricultural products; coordinate to remove pending problems in a number of cooperation projects; promote sustainable tourism cooperation, as well as people-to-people exchanges and local cooperation, along with maintaining exchange and coordination in multilateral mechanisms and forums.

At the meeting, the two sides emphasized the importance of seriously implementing agreements and common perceptions of senior leaders of the two Parties and States on better controlling and resolving disagreements at sea, fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and promoting negotiations of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to achieve substantive progress.

Son Son also proposed that the two sides respect each other’s legitimate interests, in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and development in the region.