Both Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Chinese Party Secretary General and State President Hu Jintao affirmed the steady development of neighbourly cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders made the affirmation while exchanging views in Shanghai on April 30, stressing that those fine relations worked for the benefit and met the aspirations of people of the two countries.

PM Dung, who was in Shanghai to attend the opening ceremony of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, greatly appreciated the quality of preparations for the expo by the Chinese Government and Shanghai authorities.

President Hu praised Dung’s visit to China and his presence at the expo’s opening ceremony, demonstrating the importance the Vietnamese Government and PM Dung attach to China ’s organisation of the event and their support for it. He expressed his belief that the visit would contribute to boosting friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides stressed the significance of the 2010 – the Vietnam-China Friendship Year and expressed their pleasure at new and important developments in the two countries’ relations, especially since the two countries set up a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in May 2008.

They agreed to apply practical measures to further deepen bilateral cooperation by increasing high-level visits and meetings, as well as expanding exchanges and cooperation between ministries, agencies and localities of the two nations.

They also agreed to boost the efficiency of cooperation in all fields and maintain the pace of trade growth, striving to obtain a two-way trade turnover of 25 billion USD this year.

The two leaders expressed their satisfactory at the completion of demarcation of the Tonkin Gulf and land borders. They agreed that the two sides need to continue negotiations on solutions for problems relating to the East Sea in the spirit of friendly neighbours, for mutual benefit, under international law to contribute to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world.

PM Dung took this occasion to extend his sympathy to the Chinese Party, Government and people, especially families of the victims of the recent earthquake that hit northwest China 's Qinghai province.

President Hu thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their sympathy and assistance to the Qinghai people.

PM Dung conveyed best regards from Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet to Secretary General and President Hu Jin Tao and other Chinese leaders and invitations to President Hu to revisit Vietnam.

Hu asked PM Dung to convey his best regards to Vietnamese leaders and said he would visit Vietnam at a convenient time.

Earlier in the day, Secretary of the Shanghai Party Committee Yu Zhengsheng met PM Dung and his delegation.

The two sides discussed measures to boost cooperation between Vietnam and Shanghai , facilitating the exchanges in investment, trade, education and training, culture and tourism.

They agreed to create favourable conditions to expand cooperation between ministries, sectors and localities of Vietnam and Shanghai, including the opening of Vietnam ’s consulate general in the Chinese city and the hosting of Vietnamese students there.

The same day, PM Dung visited the Vietnam House at the expo and witnessed the launching ceremony of the Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi-Shanghai air route. He also visited the Transport Bank and the Shanghai Research and Development Centre of Hua Wei Telecom Group./.