 Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) and Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong (Photo: VNA) |
Minister Son stated Vietnam consistently attaches importance to consolidating and developing its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China, considering this a top priority in the country’s overall foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, and diversification and multilateralization of external relations.
Son suggested the two sides continue to maintain contacts and exchanges at all levels; improve the quality and efficiency of cooperation, develop trade in a more balanced and sustainable manner; expand investment cooperation in parallel with settling obstacles in several key projects; promote transport connectivity, and soon resume flights between the nations to facilitate travel of people and flows of goods, especially in the context that the two countries have opened their doors after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agreeing with the host’s suggestions for the promotion of the nations’ collaboration in the time to come, Nong affirmed that China treasures its relations with Vietnam and is willing to work with Vietnam to increase exchanges, consolidate political trust via all-level contacts, and constantly enhance the friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
 At the talks between Vietnamese Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong. (Photo: VNA) |
The same day, Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu held talks with Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong, during which the two sides agreed to continue fully implementing the high-level perceptions and thoroughly prepare for the 15th meeting of the Steering Committee for Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation and step up bilateral cooperation in different areas.
Vu suggested both sides devise plans and well hold exchange activities, all-level meetings and facilitate locality-to-locality cooperation, continue applying trade facilitation measures. He proposed China accelerate the opening of its market for Vietnamese farm produce, resume seafood imports, make it easier for Vietnam to establish more trade promotion offices in the country and increase the quotas for Vietnamese goods in transit by Chinese railway to a third country.
Vu also proposed measures to boost cooperation in investment, finance, transport infrastructure connectivity, education, culture-sports.
Hailing China for adding Vietnam into the list of countries for pilot group tours from March 15, he urged the two sides to resume flights soon, well deploy group tours and recover tourism cooperation to the pre-pandemic level.
Nong, for his part, affirmed that China treasures Vietnam’s cooperation proposals and will continue expanding imports, with particular emphasis on the licensing of more Vietnamese farm produce.
China will encourage its businesses to expand investment and work closely with Vietnam’s relevant agencies to deal with issues in several cooperation projects, he said.
The Chinese official proposed both sides accelerate the disbursement of Chinese aid funds to Vietnam in the fields of health care, education and improving people's livelihoods, and continue coordination in multilateral mechanisms.
The two sides also discussed cooperation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs and agreed to effectively implement the agreement on enhancing cooperation between the two ministries in the new situation; maintain regular meetings between their leaders, and exchanges between departments and agencies to share experience in economic diplomacy; and support localities, businesses and people and in foreign investment attraction for development of each country.
On border and territorial issues, they agreed to continue coordination in managing and protecting the shared border in accordance with the three legal documents on the land border and related agreements; to accelerate the upgrading and opening of several pairs of border gates; build the Vietnam-China borderline of peace, stability, cooperation and development; seriously implement high-level common perceptions; well control disagreements; and maintain peace and stability at sea.