Vietnam and China have agreed on the need to consolidate political trust and understanding and maintain the exchange of high-level visits to boost their comprehensive strategic partnership. During talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Hanoi on Thursday, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Vietnam treasures and wants to join hands with China in implementing agreements reached by both countries’ top leaders. Vice President Xi said that Sino-Vietnam friendship is a priceless asset that needs to be preserved and upheld for the benefit of the 2 peoples. He called on the 2 sides to be patient while solving pending issues. Prime Minister Dung said that Vietnam and China should soon sign agreements on tourism cooperation in the Ban Gioc waterfall and free navigation in the Bac Luan river mouth. He reiterated Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issue, urging the 2 countries to solve maritime differences in the spirit of respecting each other’s legitimate interest and on the basis of common perceptions reached by their senior leaders and international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea. Both leaders were unanimous on the early establishment of an exchange mechanism on implementing a bilateral agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of marine issues.    

Regarding economic ties, Vice President Xi suggested further cooperation in transport, energy, agriculture and fisheries while Prime Minister Dung called for measures to double 2-way trade value by 2015.     

Vietnamese and Chinese youth play an important role in maintaining and developing the traditional relationship between the two countries. Vietnamese Party Politburo member Le Hong Anh and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping affirmed this while meeting with Vietnamese and Chinese youth delegates in Hanoi today/Thursday.
The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the friendship between the two countries’ Youth Unions and highlighted the friendly neighbourliness and similarities between Vietnam and China, saying they have helped foster the traditional friendship founded and nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong and their successors.
The stronger Vietnam-China relationship is an important factor in realizing their revolutionary causes and consolidating their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership under the motto of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability looking towards the future” and in the spirit of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners.”
Mr Anh and Mr Xi also underlined exchanges and cooperation programmes between the two countries’ Youth Unions and said they believe that practical activities will help promote friendship between younger generations of Vietnam and China.