Hanoi (VNA) – The annual Viet Nam-China deputy foreign ministers’ meeting took place in Nha Trang city in the central province of Khanh Hoa between March 5 and 8, discussing bilateral ties and border issues.

At the function, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin reviewed progress made in bilateral relations in the past time and discussed ways to boost cooperation, particularly the implementation of agreements and common conceptions reached by leaders of the two Parties and Governments, and the maintenance of peace, stability at sea.

The two sides agreed to coordinate to make preparations for high-ranking visits between the two countries in 2017, the 10th meeting of the steering committee for Viet Nam-China cooperation, and exchanges between the two parties, parliaments and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as exchanges in important sectors such as diplomacy, defence-security and law enforcement.

The sides promised to encourage long-term partnerships between their businesses and improve cooperation in the sectors of transport, agriculture, environment-natural resources, and technology.

The two countries will also work closely in responding to climate change, sustainably using shared water resources, including the Mekong River, while increasing people-to-people exchanges and mutually beneficial affiliation between localities. 

Lauding the role of land border cooperation mechanisms between the two countries in maintaining border security and order, both sides agreed to continue to enforce legal documents on land border, open new border gates and upgrade existing ones as agreed before, and apply facilitation measures for customs clearance towards stimulating economic growth in border areas. 

Regarding maritime issues, the two sides reached a consensus on respecting agreements and common conceptions of leaders of the two Parties and countries, particularly the Viet Nam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues.

The two sides will make use of existing negotiation and cooperation mechanisms to build trust; persevere in resolving disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures and promote cooperation in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

They agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and work with ASEAN member states in speeding up negotiations to finalize a Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters. 

They also reached agreement on controlling sea disputes without taking any move that can complicate the situation in order to maintain peace and security in the East Sea.

The Vietnamese delegation took the occasion to express the country’s position on recent complicated developments in the East Sea.