Vietnamese, Chinese foreign ministries boost cooperation

Beijing (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on April 18, on the occasion of his tour to China to co-chair the 10th meeting of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.

Minh lauded close collaboration between the two foreign ministries in coordinating Vietnam – China cooperative ties across sectors.

He said the two bodies should continue upholding their role as permanent agencies of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, and make good preparations for bilateral visits and meetings of senior officials of the two countries.

The Deputy PM suggested that the two ministries should work to enhance efficiency of bilateral cooperation and support partnerships between the two countries’ localities, particularly those in border areas.

The ministries also need to push negotiation mechanisms for border and territorial issues in order to achieve substantive outcomes and join hands in maintaining peace and security in the East Sea, Minh added.

He urged the two sides to hold discussions on the re-signing of their bilateral cooperation protocol, maintain exchanges between their leaders, and strengthen liaison between their sub-units on policy research and making, media affairs, consular work and citizen protection.

For his part, Wang Yi shared his guest’s recommendations on developing bilateral relations.

He said the Chinese Foreign Ministry is willing to work with the Vietnamese side to gear up for high-ranking visits and enhance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. -VNA