China, Vietnam agree to maintain strategic communication, advance cooperation

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met here Monday, with both sides agreeing to maintain strategic communication and advance cooperation.

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on Monday.

Wang said that China and Vietnam should maintain strategic communication, deepen strategic coordination and make efforts towards building a community with shared future as they share highly alike common strategic interests due to being friendly neighboring socialist countries and important forces among emerging market economies and developing countries.

Wang called on the two countries to join hands to forge ahead in developing socialism in line with their respective national conditions, and make greater contributions to regional and global peace and prosperity.

During the meeting, Son said that Vietnam and China enjoy high-level mutual political trust as well as smooth progress in pragmatic cooperation.

Noting that Vietnam has always prioritized relations with China in its strategies for external affairs, Son said that Vietnam is willing to maintain high-level exchanges and strategic communication with China, and push for new breakthroughs in cooperation in various fields.

Wang said that China is currently working to achieve a new development pattern and higher-quality opening-up, which will bring more benefits to Vietnam and create more favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation, and called on both sides to share the opportunities and jointly seek development, safeguard stability and create prosperity.

The two sides agreed that they will work to coordinate efforts to push forward cooperation in various fields at the 14th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation to be held in China.

Both sides also pledged efforts to accelerate implementation of the viable livelihood projects with remarkable social benefits so as to bring the two peoples closer to each other and strengthen popular support for bilateral friendship.

During the meeting, the two foreign ministers also exchanged views on the South China Sea issue, agreeing to take the opportunity of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea this year to move forward the process of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, adhere to the consensus reached between the leaderships, handle differences properly and boost maritime cooperation.