President: Vietnam wants to develop stable ties with China

Hanoi (VNA) – State President Tran Dai Quang has reiterated that Vietnam attaches great importance to developing stable, healthy and sustainable relations with China, and thanked the Chinese Party, State and people for their assistance during the country’s revolutionary stages.

President Quang made the remarks while receiving Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress, in Hanoi on November 9.

Zhang conveyed Chinese Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping’s greetings and invitation to President Quang to visit China.

The President welcomed Zhang’s official friendship visit to Vietnam, considering it an important event to strengthen the bilateral friendship and cooperation. He congratulated China on the successful organisation of the sixth session of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Zhang said his visit aims to coordinate with the Vietnamese Party, State and National Assembly to carry out agreements reached between senior leaders of the two nations.

Accordingly, both sides are expected to exert efforts to realise their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a result-oriented and effective way; maintain meetings at all levels, timely exchange opinions on important issues, and pay heed to development cooperation plans and projects that benefit both nations.

President Quang said the continuous enhancement of the friendship and mutually beneficiary cooperation between the two Parties, States and people is crucial to the development of both countries, as well as to peace, stability and development in the region and around the world.

The President highlighted the special importance of regular discussions and meetings between Vietnamese and Chinese senior leaders, and the timely instructions for the settlement of emerging problems.

Vietnamese and Chinese agencies and authorities at all levels should work harder to realise cooperation agreements, programmes and projects while fostering a balance, stable and effective bilateral trade, he said.

The host applauded stronger ties between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the National People’s Congress of China , suggesting them bolster people-to-people exchanges and collaboration in diplomacy, security, defence, and in sharing information and boosting mutual understanding.

With regard to the East Sea situation, President Quang emphasised the significance of mutual respect for each other’s legitimate interests in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and joint efforts to maintain stability at sea and a peaceful environment for development.

He asked Vietnamese and Chinese agencies and authorities to seriously implement the agreements and common perceptions reached by their senior leaders, not have any actions that complicate the situation, persistently resolve disputes by peaceful measures in conformity with international law, including UNCLOS, fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and work with ASEAN member nations to soon finalise a Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters.

President Quang also asked Zhang to send his thanks to Party General Secretary and State President Xi for his invitation to visit China. He also invited the top Chinese leader to pay an official visit to Vietnam and attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit in 2017.-VNA