(VOVworld) – The 3^rd Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange is taking place in Vietnam’s Lang Son province and China’s Guangxi province. Deputy Minister of National Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh told VOV that defense cooperation is an important part in Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership towards establishing genuine trust as a basis for relations in other fields. He said border defense is a major point in bilateral defense cooperation: “We have frankly discussed ways to strengthen border security and defense. We have also agreed to increase exchanges between people in border areas and help them develop economically and socially.”

Deputy Minister Vinh said the steady cooperation between the two armies has strengthened the people’s trust in peaceful, stable development: “Defense cooperation is symbolic but it needs to be sustainable to consolidate political trust. Border defense friendship exchanges have helped both countries determine new models to be applied along the northern border.”

This year’s exchange involved the highest ranking military leaders of the two countries.