China values the upcoming visit by President Truong Tan Sang, whichhas an important significance to common perception in the China-Vietnamcomprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Chinese Ambassador toVietnam Kong Xuanyou has said.
In an interviewgranted to the Vietnamese press on the threshold of President Sang’sState level visit to China from June 19-21, the Chinese Ambassadornoted that this is President Sang’s first visit to China, and also thefirst meeting between State leaders of the two countries after Chinaelected a new leadership.
He noted that therelations between Vietnam and China have made great strides, andbesides important opportunities there are issues pending settlement.
“We hope and believe that the two sides will stand onthe general view of the China-Vietnam relationship and the overallprospects of the development cause of each country, the visit byPresident Truong Tan Sang will contribute to promoting bilateralrelations, and at the same time reach agreement on the reinforcement ofmutual political trust, effective cooperation and satisfactorysettlement of existing differences, thus lifting the bilateral ties to anew height,” said the ambassador.
Assessing thecurrent China-Vietnam relations, the ambassador said this year, withjoint efforts made by both sides, the China-Vietnam comprehensivestrategic cooperative partnership continues to see new developments withthe more regular exchange of visits by high-ranking leaders.
The two countries’ leaders have exchanged views and reached importantcommon perceptions on reinforcing mutual trust, boosting cooperation andsettling differences, significantly contributing to strengthening theChina-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Secondly, the two sides have intensified existing mechanisms ofexchange. The two countries will organise the 9th theoreticalconference to boost the exchange of State management experience, hesaid, adding that China will continue assisting Vietnam intraining Party officials.
Cooperative mechanismsbetween the two countries’ diplomatic, defence and public securitysectors continue to work effectively, with the recent successfulorganisation of the 7th strategic dialogue on defence.
Cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese and Vietnameselocalities, especially those sharing the border, have been furtherdeepened, he said.
Thirdly, economic-tradecooperation between the two countries has been expanding, with Chinabeing Vietnam ’s leading trade partner for nine consecutive years.Two-way trade hit 40 billion USD last year and the figure reached 18.9billion USD in the first five months of this year, up 37.3 percent yearon year.
The two countries are making all-out efforts to realise their bilateral trade target of 60 billion USD by 2015.
Fourthly, exchanges between the two countries’ people have beenboosted with a range of activities such as people’s forums and borderyouth festivals.
In addition, China is the mostimportant tourist market of Vietnam with millions of Chinese visitingVietnam each year.
China provides Vietnamwith 150 Government scholarships per year. In 2012, more than 16,000Vietnamese students pursued their study in China , the fourth largestnumber among countries sending students to China .
Fifthly, Ambassador Kong Xuan-you noted that the two sides have madeefforts to maintain stability at sea, accelerate negotiations ondemarcation and joint exploitation of the area off the Tonkin Gulf mouthas well as cooperation in less sensitive issues at sea. They havesuccessively established suitable working mechanisms in the twocountries and agreed on priority projects for cooperation such ascoordination in search and rescue at sea.
Regardingthe potential and prospects for the development of the Vietnam-Chinarelationship, Ambassador Kong Xuan-you stressed that regardless of anyfluctuation in the international situation, China will consistentlypursue its path of peaceful development and a foreign policy of beingfriendly with neighbours and a partner of neighbours.
He affirmed that his country will develop the China-Vietnamrelationship under the motto of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensivecooperation, long-term stability and looking toward the future” and thespirit of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and goodpartners” with a strategic and long-term vision on the comprehensivestrategic cooperative partnership between the two nations.
“China will continue to cooperate with Vietnam, enhancing mutualpolitical trust, fostering mutually-beneficiary cooperation,satisfactorily settling existing disputes and raising the friendlyneighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two countriesto a new level, thus bringing practical benefits to both peoples,” hesaid.
According to the ambassador, the newleadership of China attaches special importance to relations betweenthe two Parties and States of China and Vietnam .
He said the two countries should increase exchanges, expandcooperation, deepen people-to-people cultural exchanges, satisfactorilysettle maritime issues and closely coordinate with each other atmultilateral forums, he noted.
Regarding themaritime issue, Kong said this is the only issue yet to be resolvedbetween the two countries, certainly hindering the development of thebilateral ties.
The two countries need time tothoroughly address this extremely complicated and sensitive issue, hestressed, adding that for a satisfactory and step-be-step settlement ofthe issue, high-ranking leaders of the two countries have reachedimportant common perceptions. The two sides have signed an agreement onbasic principles guiding the settlement of sea-based issue whichstresses that Vietnam and China must solve the issue based ontheir friendship and through negotiations and consultations, not lettingtheir differences affect the favourable development of the bilateralties.
Guided by the common perception of thetwo countries’ leaders, the two sides have established governmental- andexpert-level border negotiation mechanisms, he added.
Kong went on to say that as China and Vietnam are neighbouringsocialist countries which are both in the key stage of their reform anddevelopment, the consolidation of the bilateral relationship and thestrengthening of their mutually beneficiary cooperation suits the basicinterests of both countries and peoples, benefits the protection anddevelopment of the cause of socialism as well as peace, stability andprosperity in the region.
That is the generalsituation of the two countries’ relationship, he affirmed, adding thatif the two sides stand on this general situation, strictly implement andobey the related common perceptions of the high-ranking leaders and theagreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-basedissue, effectively control differences, actively seek cooperation andpractically maintain stability, the maritime issue will surely beresolved in a satisfactory manner.
The ChineseAmbassador also affirmed that the new government of China givespriority to ASEAN in its external policy and backs the strongdevelopment of ASEAN countries, including Vietnam .
On the occasion of President Sang’s visit, Vietnamese Ambassador toChina Nguyen Van Tho also granted an interview to Vietnamese and Chinesepress on the significance of the visit and the Vietnam-Chinarelationship.
He said the visit takes place in thecontext that the world and the region see rapid and complicateddevelopments and both Vietnam and China are in the key stage oftheir renewal and reform.
Even when the world andregional situation has undergone many changes and the relations betweenthe two countries also went through ups and downs, the leaders andpeople of Vietnam and China never change their common perception thatthe stable development of the bilateral ties is very important for notonly the development of each country but also for peace, stability andprosperity in the region, the ambassador affirmed.
Since the two countries normalised their relations in 1991, cooperationand friendship have been the main stream in the bilateral ties despitesome differences, he said.
Over the past years, theVietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has beencontinuously consolidated and developed with the more regularly exchangeof delegations at all levels, and the recent establishment of a hotlinebetween their high-ranking leaders, he said, adding that during theirfirst call via the hotline, Vietnamese Party General Secretary NguyenPhu Trong and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on majororientations for future bilateral relations.
Theambassador also highlighted the great strides in economic-trade andinvestment cooperation between the two countries, the expanding anddeepening cooperation in the national defence and security sectors aswell as the close ties in cultural, education, tourism andpeople-to-people exchange.
He noted that the twocountries have to date settled two out of three major issues bequeathedby history, which are the land border and the Tonkin Gulf . Thisreflected great efforts made by the two countries’ leaders and people.
He said the only issue in the bilateral ties is theEast Sea, which is a great and difficult long-term issue thatneeds a clear and consistent stance.
If thisproblem is not solved satisfactorily, it will affect the overallsituation of the two countries’ relationship as well as regional peaceand stability, he noted.
The ambassador recalledthat the two countries have reached the agreement on basic principlesguiding the settlement of sea-based issue on the basis of friendlynegotiations and frank and equal discussions with respect for eachother’s interests and international law, especially the 1982 UNConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Declaration on theConduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the formation of a Codeof Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
The two sideshave conducted a number of negotiation rounds of the working group onthe area beyond the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf to speed up thedelimitation and consider cooperation for mutual development in thisarea. They have also reached agreement on three cooperation projects inless sensitive fields at sea.
In addition, ensuringVietnamese fishermen’s freedom to fish at traditional grounds in theEast Sea is very important as it has a great impact on the life andsentiments of Vietnamese people.
According toAmbassador Tho, during President Sang’s visit, the two sides willcontinue straightforward and sincere discussions on the East Seaissue.
The Vietnamese side wishes that from thestrategic height and friendship, the two countries’ leaders willinstruct and accelerate the settlement of the East Sea issue throughpeaceful negotiations on the basis of equality and mutual respect on thebasis of international law, particularly the UNCLOS 1982, and thestrict compliance with the DOC towards the formation of the COC, saidthe ambassador.
The two sides will also discussmeasures to deal with issues arising from fishing activities andfishermen, not letting it affect the friendship as well as the life andsentiments of the people.
They will talk measures tofurther strengthen political trust and uphold the traditionalfriendship between the two countries’ people, especially younggenerations, as well as consolidate and expand mutually beneficiarycooperation in all aspects.
At the same time, inorder to create a breakthrough in economic-trade and investmentcooperation between the two countries in the coming time, Ambassador Thoemphasised the need to fully promote the role of their existingcooperative mechanisms, especially the Steering Committee on BilateralCooperation, in making plans for and effectively managing economiccooperation activities.
The two sides should timelyand effectively handle emerging issues such as ensuring orderly andstable border trade, labour, food safety and hygiene, and plant andanimal quarantine, he said, adding that Vietnam’s trade deficit withChina should also be dealt with.
Vietnamencourages Chinese businesses to increase investment in infrastructure,manufacturing and support industries, firstly at industrial and exportprocessing zones jointly invested by the two countries, said theambassador.-VNA
In an interviewgranted to the Vietnamese press on the threshold of President Sang’sState level visit to China from June 19-21, the Chinese Ambassadornoted that this is President Sang’s first visit to China, and also thefirst meeting between State leaders of the two countries after Chinaelected a new leadership.
He noted that therelations between Vietnam and China have made great strides, andbesides important opportunities there are issues pending settlement.
“We hope and believe that the two sides will stand onthe general view of the China-Vietnam relationship and the overallprospects of the development cause of each country, the visit byPresident Truong Tan Sang will contribute to promoting bilateralrelations, and at the same time reach agreement on the reinforcement ofmutual political trust, effective cooperation and satisfactorysettlement of existing differences, thus lifting the bilateral ties to anew height,” said the ambassador.
Assessing thecurrent China-Vietnam relations, the ambassador said this year, withjoint efforts made by both sides, the China-Vietnam comprehensivestrategic cooperative partnership continues to see new developments withthe more regular exchange of visits by high-ranking leaders.
The two countries’ leaders have exchanged views and reached importantcommon perceptions on reinforcing mutual trust, boosting cooperation andsettling differences, significantly contributing to strengthening theChina-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Secondly, the two sides have intensified existing mechanisms ofexchange. The two countries will organise the 9th theoreticalconference to boost the exchange of State management experience, hesaid, adding that China will continue assisting Vietnam intraining Party officials.
Cooperative mechanismsbetween the two countries’ diplomatic, defence and public securitysectors continue to work effectively, with the recent successfulorganisation of the 7th strategic dialogue on defence.
Cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese and Vietnameselocalities, especially those sharing the border, have been furtherdeepened, he said.
Thirdly, economic-tradecooperation between the two countries has been expanding, with Chinabeing Vietnam ’s leading trade partner for nine consecutive years.Two-way trade hit 40 billion USD last year and the figure reached 18.9billion USD in the first five months of this year, up 37.3 percent yearon year.
The two countries are making all-out efforts to realise their bilateral trade target of 60 billion USD by 2015.
Fourthly, exchanges between the two countries’ people have beenboosted with a range of activities such as people’s forums and borderyouth festivals.
In addition, China is the mostimportant tourist market of Vietnam with millions of Chinese visitingVietnam each year.
China provides Vietnamwith 150 Government scholarships per year. In 2012, more than 16,000Vietnamese students pursued their study in China , the fourth largestnumber among countries sending students to China .
Fifthly, Ambassador Kong Xuan-you noted that the two sides have madeefforts to maintain stability at sea, accelerate negotiations ondemarcation and joint exploitation of the area off the Tonkin Gulf mouthas well as cooperation in less sensitive issues at sea. They havesuccessively established suitable working mechanisms in the twocountries and agreed on priority projects for cooperation such ascoordination in search and rescue at sea.
Regardingthe potential and prospects for the development of the Vietnam-Chinarelationship, Ambassador Kong Xuan-you stressed that regardless of anyfluctuation in the international situation, China will consistentlypursue its path of peaceful development and a foreign policy of beingfriendly with neighbours and a partner of neighbours.
He affirmed that his country will develop the China-Vietnamrelationship under the motto of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensivecooperation, long-term stability and looking toward the future” and thespirit of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and goodpartners” with a strategic and long-term vision on the comprehensivestrategic cooperative partnership between the two nations.
“China will continue to cooperate with Vietnam, enhancing mutualpolitical trust, fostering mutually-beneficiary cooperation,satisfactorily settling existing disputes and raising the friendlyneighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two countriesto a new level, thus bringing practical benefits to both peoples,” hesaid.
According to the ambassador, the newleadership of China attaches special importance to relations betweenthe two Parties and States of China and Vietnam .
He said the two countries should increase exchanges, expandcooperation, deepen people-to-people cultural exchanges, satisfactorilysettle maritime issues and closely coordinate with each other atmultilateral forums, he noted.
Regarding themaritime issue, Kong said this is the only issue yet to be resolvedbetween the two countries, certainly hindering the development of thebilateral ties.
The two countries need time tothoroughly address this extremely complicated and sensitive issue, hestressed, adding that for a satisfactory and step-be-step settlement ofthe issue, high-ranking leaders of the two countries have reachedimportant common perceptions. The two sides have signed an agreement onbasic principles guiding the settlement of sea-based issue whichstresses that Vietnam and China must solve the issue based ontheir friendship and through negotiations and consultations, not lettingtheir differences affect the favourable development of the bilateralties.
Guided by the common perception of thetwo countries’ leaders, the two sides have established governmental- andexpert-level border negotiation mechanisms, he added.
Kong went on to say that as China and Vietnam are neighbouringsocialist countries which are both in the key stage of their reform anddevelopment, the consolidation of the bilateral relationship and thestrengthening of their mutually beneficiary cooperation suits the basicinterests of both countries and peoples, benefits the protection anddevelopment of the cause of socialism as well as peace, stability andprosperity in the region.
That is the generalsituation of the two countries’ relationship, he affirmed, adding thatif the two sides stand on this general situation, strictly implement andobey the related common perceptions of the high-ranking leaders and theagreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-basedissue, effectively control differences, actively seek cooperation andpractically maintain stability, the maritime issue will surely beresolved in a satisfactory manner.
The ChineseAmbassador also affirmed that the new government of China givespriority to ASEAN in its external policy and backs the strongdevelopment of ASEAN countries, including Vietnam .
On the occasion of President Sang’s visit, Vietnamese Ambassador toChina Nguyen Van Tho also granted an interview to Vietnamese and Chinesepress on the significance of the visit and the Vietnam-Chinarelationship.
He said the visit takes place in thecontext that the world and the region see rapid and complicateddevelopments and both Vietnam and China are in the key stage oftheir renewal and reform.
Even when the world andregional situation has undergone many changes and the relations betweenthe two countries also went through ups and downs, the leaders andpeople of Vietnam and China never change their common perception thatthe stable development of the bilateral ties is very important for notonly the development of each country but also for peace, stability andprosperity in the region, the ambassador affirmed.
Since the two countries normalised their relations in 1991, cooperationand friendship have been the main stream in the bilateral ties despitesome differences, he said.
Over the past years, theVietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has beencontinuously consolidated and developed with the more regularly exchangeof delegations at all levels, and the recent establishment of a hotlinebetween their high-ranking leaders, he said, adding that during theirfirst call via the hotline, Vietnamese Party General Secretary NguyenPhu Trong and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on majororientations for future bilateral relations.
Theambassador also highlighted the great strides in economic-trade andinvestment cooperation between the two countries, the expanding anddeepening cooperation in the national defence and security sectors aswell as the close ties in cultural, education, tourism andpeople-to-people exchange.
He noted that the twocountries have to date settled two out of three major issues bequeathedby history, which are the land border and the Tonkin Gulf . Thisreflected great efforts made by the two countries’ leaders and people.
He said the only issue in the bilateral ties is theEast Sea, which is a great and difficult long-term issue thatneeds a clear and consistent stance.
If thisproblem is not solved satisfactorily, it will affect the overallsituation of the two countries’ relationship as well as regional peaceand stability, he noted.
The ambassador recalledthat the two countries have reached the agreement on basic principlesguiding the settlement of sea-based issue on the basis of friendlynegotiations and frank and equal discussions with respect for eachother’s interests and international law, especially the 1982 UNConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Declaration on theConduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the formation of a Codeof Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
The two sideshave conducted a number of negotiation rounds of the working group onthe area beyond the mouth of the Tonkin Gulf to speed up thedelimitation and consider cooperation for mutual development in thisarea. They have also reached agreement on three cooperation projects inless sensitive fields at sea.
In addition, ensuringVietnamese fishermen’s freedom to fish at traditional grounds in theEast Sea is very important as it has a great impact on the life andsentiments of Vietnamese people.
According toAmbassador Tho, during President Sang’s visit, the two sides willcontinue straightforward and sincere discussions on the East Seaissue.
The Vietnamese side wishes that from thestrategic height and friendship, the two countries’ leaders willinstruct and accelerate the settlement of the East Sea issue throughpeaceful negotiations on the basis of equality and mutual respect on thebasis of international law, particularly the UNCLOS 1982, and thestrict compliance with the DOC towards the formation of the COC, saidthe ambassador.
The two sides will also discussmeasures to deal with issues arising from fishing activities andfishermen, not letting it affect the friendship as well as the life andsentiments of the people.
They will talk measures tofurther strengthen political trust and uphold the traditionalfriendship between the two countries’ people, especially younggenerations, as well as consolidate and expand mutually beneficiarycooperation in all aspects.
At the same time, inorder to create a breakthrough in economic-trade and investmentcooperation between the two countries in the coming time, Ambassador Thoemphasised the need to fully promote the role of their existingcooperative mechanisms, especially the Steering Committee on BilateralCooperation, in making plans for and effectively managing economiccooperation activities.
The two sides should timelyand effectively handle emerging issues such as ensuring orderly andstable border trade, labour, food safety and hygiene, and plant andanimal quarantine, he said, adding that Vietnam’s trade deficit withChina should also be dealt with.
Vietnamencourages Chinese businesses to increase investment in infrastructure,manufacturing and support industries, firstly at industrial and exportprocessing zones jointly invested by the two countries, said theambassador.-VNA
