Vietnam and China have agreed to soon sign an agreement on fundamental principles to guide the settlement of sea-related differences and arising issues through peaceful negotiations and based on international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the government negotiation delegation of Vietnam , Ho Xuan Son, and his Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun reached consensus on the issue during their meeting in Hanoi on April 18.

Both Son and Zhang stated that the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea was of important significance to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea .

On the land border, the two sides said the situation in border areas has become more stable and the enforcement of documents on the land border has been conducted on schedule, including the official launch of the mechanism of the Border Joint Committee.

The two sides agreed to urge sectors and localities of the two countries to strictly implement the signed documents so as to effectively manage the new borderline, helping maintain order and security in border areas.

They also agreed to work together closely to speed up the signing of an agreement to facilitate free travel of ships at the mouth of Beilun river and a deal on cooperation and exploitation of tourism potential in the Ban Gioc waterfall area.

Regarding political relations, the two sides agreed to increase high-level visits and meetings to create a momentum for bilateral ties and encourage exchanges between sectors and localities.

On economic and trade ties, the officials agreed to soon finalise a five-year development plan for Vietnam-China economic and trade cooperation, and continue bolstering the growth of and adopting measures to balance two-way trade.

In regard to information dissemination, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation among information dissemination and press management agencies, thereby contributing to the enhancement of cooperation, friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries and their people./.