Vietnam and China have agreed to develop their comprehensive strategic partnership in a practical, healthy, stable, and sustainable fashion. The agreement was reached during talks between Xi Jinping, Chinese State President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, and Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Beijing on Tuesday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.  Xi hailed Trong’s visit as a great contribution to fostering bilateral trust and friendship, and bringing cooperation between the two Parties and countries to the next level.

The host added that the Party and Government of China treasure the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese guest said that the stable and sustainable development of friendly cooperation with China is among the top priorities in Vietnam’s foreign policy.

The two leaders shared the same view that friendly and positive cooperation remains the main pillar of their relationship over the past 65 years. Since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1991, Vietnam and China have decided to promote their rapport in the spirit of “good neighbors, good friends, good comrades, and good partnerships,” and under the motto “friendly neighbors, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and future vision.”

Both the general secretaries admitted that the two countries’ relations had experienced a difficult period, in which the biggest obstacle was political trust amid the differences in dealing with the East Vietnam Sea issue.  In the spirit of openness and sincerity, the two leaders reached consensus on three important orientations to strengthen trust and elevate the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Firstly, the two sides will maintain and expand visits and contacts by Party and State leaders of the two countries to strengthen understanding and trust. At the same time, it is necessary to effectively bring into play the existing mechanisms to deal with emerging issues in order to maintain the peaceful, friendly, and stable relations between the two countries. Secondly, the two nations will intensify directions to fully realize previous commitments and common perceptions; boost all-level exchanges and cooperation; continue effectively cooperative mechanisms between the two Parties; and increase experience sharing in Party building, anti-corruption, political and ideological education, and building law-governed states.

Thirdly, regarding maritime issues, the two sides will abide by important perceptions reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and the two countries and strictly implement the “Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Settlement of Sea-Related Issues between Vietnam and China.” The two countries will also continue effectively using the governmental negotiation mechanism for Vietnam-China borders and territories and conducting friendly negotiations to seek fundamental and long-term solutions acceptable to both sides. The two should also manage maritime disputes together while fully and efficiently expediting the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the [East Vietnam Sea]” and working toward the formation of a “Code of Conduct in the [East Vietnam Sea].” During their talks, the two leaders also agreed to avoid actions that could complicate and enlarge disputes, and promptly take measures to resolve issues properly to maintain Vietnam-China relations and peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea. The two sides pledged to step up the operation of a working group on cooperation for mutual development at sea, reinforce connections in less sensitive fields, accelerate talks about the delineation of areas off the Tonkin Gulf, promote cooperation for mutual development in the waters, and quickly launch a joint survey in the waters off the Tonkin Gulf in 2015.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Trong invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Vietnam and Xi accepted the invitation.

After their talks, the two Party chiefs witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation agreements between the two Parties, Governments, ministries, and agencies.

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