Secretaries general of Committee for Vietnam–China Bilateral Cooperation hold online meeting
Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Foreign
Minister Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam’s secretary general of the Steering Committee for Vietnam–China Bilateral Cooperation, held an online conference with the committee’s Chinese secretary general – Deputy Foreign Minister Luo
Zhaohui on May 29.
The two sides informed each other on their respective countries’ work in
COVID-19 prevention and control as well as measures to prevent transmission
from outside while resuming socio-economic activities after the outbreak. They
valued the mutual support and assistance in the fight against the pandemic.
The two sides noted that though a number of bilateral exchange and
cooperation activities had been affected by the pandemic, but the impacts were
only temporary. They agreed that Vietnam-China relations have kept its
development trend, as seen in high-level discussions in flexible forms,
maintained trade and growth in bilateral trade value. Ministries, agencies and
localities of the two countries, including the foreign ministries and
diplomatic representative agencies, have kept regular exchanges on coordinating
in pandemic fight and removing difficulties to strengthen cooperation, they said.
The two officials discussed specific measures to increase result-oriented
cooperation and some major orientations including maintaining all-level
exchanges and contacts in flexible forms, and maximising the overall
coordinating role of the Steering Committee for Vietnam–China Bilateral Cooperation in enhancing partnerships between sectors,
localities in different fields.
Deputy FM Trung asked the Chinese side to continue facilitating
and coordinating with Vietnam to accelerate customs clearance for goods at land
border gates. He suggested some specific measures such as designating border
gates for the trade of fruit and food, first of all the Lao Cai-Hekou railway
border gate, increasing the number of cargo trains specializing in transporting
farm produce imported from Vietnam, and extending the hours for customs
clearance at border gates.
Trung also urged China to accelerate procedures to open its
market to Vietnam’s farm produce and allow more Vietnamese companies to export
milk and rice to China.
The two sides agreed to continue discussing their coordination in
managing land border and organizing activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-China Land Border Treaty, the 10th year implementing three legal documents on land border. They also agreed to
conduct joint border inspections in accordance with the Agreement on Vietnam - China land border management regulations and the Protocol on land border demarcation and marker plantation at a suitable time.
The
two sides engaged in sincere and candid discussion on the sea issue, reaching agreement
on further making use of existing negotiation mechanisms for substantive
outcomes. Deputy FM Trung voiced Vietnam’s concern about the recent complicated
developments in the East Sea and the stance on its legitimate rights and
interests in accordance with international law and the 1982 UN Convention on
the Law of the Sea. He urged that the two sides promote cooperation and solve
disputes in the spirit of respecting each other’s legitimate rights and
interests, reached agreements, common perceptions of both sides and
international law./.