Mr Hung, who heads the Vietnamese delegation to the forum, spoke of the need to develop a sense of supplementation and harmony between the pan-Tonkin Gulf economic cooperation and the existing cooperation frameworks and mechanisms within East Asia, including the Sino-Vietnamese initiative of two corridors and one economic belt.

He also highlighted that the benefits of participating countries should be assured by selecting appropriate areas of cooperation and by respecting the principles of international law as well as the laws of participating countries.

The Pan-Tonkin Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum, which began on August 6, has attracted nearly 400 delegates from China, ASEAN and international organizations. The Vietnamese delegation comprises 15 members coming from several ministries and the Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences.

On the sidelines of the two-day forum was the third meeting of a joint group of experts in pan-Tonkin Gulf economic cooperation.