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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Politburo member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi. (Source: VNA) |
On December 1, at the Government Office, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Politburo member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi co-chaired the 15th meeting of the Steering Committee for Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation.
At the meeting, the two sides reviewed new developments in bilateral relations since the 14th meeting (July 2022) to date, agreeing that the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has maintained positive development momentum and achieved many important results.
High-level exchanges and contacts take place regularly, notably the historic official visit to China by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in October 2022 and high-level visits and exchanges in 2023 by President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat Truong Thi Mai...
Exchanges and cooperation through the Party, the National People's Congress, the Fatherland Front/Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and between ministries, sectors, people's organizations, and localities of the two countries have been continuously promoted and deepened; areas of substantive cooperation have achieved many encouraging developments, and the quality has been increasingly improved.
China continues to be Vietnam's largest trading partner, while Vietnam maintains its position as China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and the fourth largest in the world by country criteria.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang suggested that the two sides coordinate to improve the efficiency of customs clearance of goods at border gates, openings, and pairs of Vietnam-China border markets... (Source: VNA) |
In particular, China became Vietnam's largest export market for agricultural, forestry and fishery products in the first 10 months of 2023; China's investment capital in Vietnam continued to increase, the two sides promoted cooperation in new areas such as digital economy and green growth; completed negotiations on many important cooperation documents, including the Cooperation Plan to promote connectivity between the "Two Corridors, One Belt" framework and the "Belt and Road" Initiative.
In addition, the two sides also frankly pointed out some areas of cooperation that are not commensurate with potential and expectations; the progress of implementing China's non-refundable aid projects for Vietnam; and the resolution of long-standing problems and backlogs in some industrial cooperation projects.
Regarding the direction of cooperation in the coming time, the two sides discussed in depth and identified a number of key tasks: enhancing exchanges and contacts at high and all levels; effectively implementing exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties, the National Assembly and the National People's Congress, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; promoting the important role of the two Foreign Ministries in coordinating and promoting cooperation areas; effectively implementing defense, security and law enforcement exchange mechanisms.
The two sides agreed to continue applying effective and practical measures to promote sustainable and healthy economic, trade and investment cooperation; increase China's investment in Vietnam in fields using advanced and environmentally friendly technology; coordinate to remove obstacles in backlogged projects; and speed up the implementation of non-refundable aid projects in Vietnam.
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| Overview of the 15th meeting of the Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee. (Source: VNA) |
The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of science and technology, environment, transportation, agriculture, and health; expand cooperation in the fields of culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchange; and increase mutual support at multilateral forums.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang suggested that the two sides coordinate to improve the efficiency of customs clearance at Vietnam-China border gates, openings, and border markets; speed up the opening of the Chinese market for some types of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products; promptly complete procedures to establish a Vietnam Trade Promotion Office in Haikou, Hainan Province; and create favorable conditions for Vietnam to carry out trade and investment promotion activities and participate in major fairs and exhibitions in China.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang hopes that the two sides will accelerate the connection of transport infrastructure, especially railways, between the two sides; promote tourism cooperation to return to the level before the Covid-19 pandemic; continue to support and encourage localities to promote their roles and improve the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms, especially direct exchanges between local leaders.
Regarding the land border, the two sides assessed the overall situation as stable; the two sides' sub-committees in the Joint Land Border Committee closely coordinated in border management; promptly discussed and resolved arising issues; the work of opening new border gates and upgrading border gates achieved positive results, contributing to consolidating the land border and promoting socio-economic development in the border areas of the two countries.
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| Member of the Political Bureau, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi co-chaired the meeting. (Source: VNA) |
The two sides exchanged views frankly on maritime issues, agreeing to continue to adhere to high-level common perceptions, including the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues between Vietnam and China; and promote maritime negotiation mechanisms to achieve substantive progress.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that the two sides need to control and properly handle disagreements, respect each other's legitimate and legal rights and interests in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); together with ASEAN countries, promote negotiations and soon reach a substantive, effective and efficient COC document in accordance with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and in the region.
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