At their meeting on Tuesday, Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Thanh Cung and Senior Lieutenant General Zhang Yang, Director of General Political Department under Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) agreed that the two countries will further boost their defense cooperation.  Senior Lieutenant General Cung is leading a Vietnamese delegation on a working visit to China to exchange opinions and experience with PLA’s judicial agencies.

Senior Lieutenant General Zhang Yang praised the delegations’ visit and said he considers the cooperation between the two armies an important pillar that considerably contributes to strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Over the past several years, many delegation exchanges have taken place and the ties between the two armies have strongly developed, the Chinese official said.

The Vietnamese delegation’s leader told the host that Vietnam highly values the building, maintaining and developing the all-around relationship with China.

Senior Lieutenant General Cung also said Vietnam always remembers and is grateful to the China’s assistance and support for Vietnam during its two wars for independence.

The two sides should increase their exchanges to further strengthen mutual understanding and  deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, the Vietnamese official said. Earlier on June 5, at a meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of PLA Qi Jianguo in Beijing, the two sides signed an agreement on establishing a direct telephone line between the two Ministries of Defense. During the meeting, the two officials discussed the bilateral military ties, the East Sea situation, and regional security issues of mutual concern. Senior Lieutenant General Vinh suggested that two armies settle disputes by friendly consultation and peaceful negotiations. He also proposed measures for future cooperation between the two armies.

The two armies should not use force or threaten to use force while working towards the signing of an agreement to not use force or threaten to use force at sea, Vinh said.