President Truong Tan Sang has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy of attaching importance to friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China.

At a reception for visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Hanoi on October 14, President Sang applauded the visit as a move to demonstrate the appreciation of the Chinese Party, State and the Premier himself of further consolidating and promoting the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.

He thanked Premier Li and other Chinese Party and State leaders for extending their condolences to Vietnam over the death of General Vo Nguyen Giap.

The Vietnamese State leader spoke highly of the outcomes of the talks between Premier Li and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung, especially the two sides’ unanimity on the establishment of three working groups in charge of infrastructure and monetary cooperation and mutual development at sea in the framework of the governmental negotiation delegations on the Vietnam-China border.

He expressed his belief that these results will strongly boost the strategic cooperation between the two countries in the time to come.

President Sang stressed several measures to deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, with focus on increasing political trust between the two Parties and States and maintaining visits by and meetings between high-ranking leaders and representatives from ministries, agencies and localities.

The two sides will jointly carry out an action programme on the implementation of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, and apply effective measures to balance two-way trade and develop it in a healthy and stable manner.

Regarding sea-related issues, the President noted that the two sides should well control the situation, persistently solve differences by peaceful means on the basis of international law, and accelerate negotiations on the waters off the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf to soon reach practical developments in demarcation and cooperation for mutual development in this area.

Along with governing the situation at sea, Vietnam and China need to actively seek transitional solutions that are acceptable to both sides and do not affect each side’s stance.

For his part, Premier Li congratulated the Vietnamese people on the achievements they have reaped during the renewal process, affirming that the Chinese Party and State attach importance to and wish to develop friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

He said the outcomes the two sides have reached during his visit will contribute to developing the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy and stable manner under the motto “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability and looking towards the future” and the spirit of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners”.

On the occasion, President Sang conveyed his invitation to President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking Chinese leaders to visit Vietnam at a convenient time.-VNA