Senior Lieutenant-General Do Ba Ty, chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army made the statement during talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jin-ping in Beijing on April 13.

Ty said the visit by Vietnamese high-ranking army delegation to China aimed to enhance political trust between the two sides as well as to expand their comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership.

Based on the spirit of comradeship and brotherhood, he said the Vietnamese People's Army expected China to continue to grow along with the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA) modernisation, contributing to peace and stability in the region and the world, including Vietnam.

With China's support during the war and for Vietnam's national construction effort, Vietnam attached importance to developing neighbourly relations and comprehensive and sustainable co-operation with China. It was considered a priority in Vietnamese external relations policies, Ty said.

He also briefed the host on issues of common interest such as bringing into full play the efficiency of the dialogue channel on the national defence-security strategy at Deputy Defence Minister's level; promptly setting up a direct communication channel between the two defence ministries; promoting communication between the two navies; and exchanging information and dealing with issues on the mainland and at sea following guidelines set by the two countries' leaders.

Xi expressed his admiration for Vietnam and its people, especially after his visit to the country last December.

He reviewed the traditional fine relations of the two nations, particularly since 1991 when relations were normalised.

He also said the successful resolution in land border demarcation and delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin had resulted in practical benefits for the two peoples.

Relations between the two armies was also growing well, Xi said. He also informed the Vietnamese delegation about the achievements of the Communist Party of China and emphasised the consistent lessons to be learnt from Marxism, which he said wanted to share with Vietnam.