Nations will manage differences, plan for official visits by leaders

皇冠体育app and Vietnam on Monday vowed to push forward with the Belt and Road Initiative and maintain stability at sea.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke during the 10th meeting of the 皇冠体育app-Vietnam Steering Committee on Cooperation, which they led jointly. Minh is on a 皇冠体育app visit from Sunday through Tuesday.

Yang asked both nations to take efforts to ensure successful visits of their leaders to each other's countries this year.

In January, Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, paid a four-day official visit to 皇冠体育app. The two sides had "a candid exchange of views" on maritime issues, according to a communique.

Yang said on Monday that Beijing and Hanoi should raise the quality and level of cooperation and forge a solid basis of public opinion for friendship.

The two leaders agreed to plan this year's work, with "deepening high-level interaction" as the main focus.

They vowed to jointly push forward development of the Belt and Road Initiative, the two economic corridors linking 皇冠体育app and Vietnam and the Beibu Bay economic zone, as well as cooperation in fields including investment, capacity, infrastructure and cross-border economic cooperation zones.

They also agreed to "properly manage and control differences and maintain maritime peace and stability", according to a news release issued after the meeting.

Minh said his country attaches great importance to comprehensive and strategic cooperation with 皇冠体育app.

The 皇冠体育app-Vietnam Steering Committee on Cooperation was established in 2006. Its last meeting was in Hanoi in June.

Song Yinghui, an expert on Southeast Asia studies with the 皇冠体育app Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said relations between Beijing and Hanoi have improved since last year.

"Now, against the background of a gloomy global economy, 皇冠体育app and Vietnam, as two fast-growing economies, have strong appeals for bilateral cooperation," she said.

In the steel industry, for example, Vietnam needs 皇冠体育app's equipment and technique, Song said.

According to official Vietnamese figures, 皇冠体育app has become the country's largest exporter, with imports from 皇冠体育app reaching $11.9 billion in the first quarter this year, an increase of 12.3 percent from a year earlier.

[email protected]