Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (Photo: VTV)

During a phone conversation on Friday, the two Prime Ministers reached common understanding on the importance of the traditional and friendly neighborliness, comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and measures to strengthen bilateral ties.

They stressed the need to maintain regular exchanges and meetings at all levels flexibly in the present context, improve the quality, efficiency and sustainability of cooperation in economy, trade and investment, share experience in COVID-19 prevention and control and socio-economic development of each country.

Prime Minister Chinh suggested that Vietnam and China make joint efforts to maintain peace and stability, and properly handle issues at sea in the spirit of high-level common sense and rule of law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He called on both sides to well control disagreements and understand, pay attention to each other's legitimate rights and interests in order to jointly promote the resolution of the East Sea issue, from easy to difficult, without affecting the overall relationship between the two countries.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister stressed efforts to work with ASEAN to accelerate the building of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Premier Li said that China values its relations with Vietnam and pays attention to Vietnam's proposals for economic, trade, and investment cooperation, including creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural products exported to China.

He reiterated China’s wish to boost negotiation mechanisms at sea and work together with Vietnam and other ASEAN countries to soon reach the COC.