Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh meets Chinese Foreign Minister

Both sides said they highly value the cooperation between ASEAN and China and wanted to boost the ties further.

They said the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting will help enhance mutual understanding and cooperation between the two sides, which is an important preparation for the success of the Commemorative Summit marking ASEAN-China dialogue partnership later this year.

Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh took note of developments in Vietnam-China ties and proposed that the two sides maintain delegation exchanges and contacts at high level while pushing forward mutually-benefiting cooperation and the implementation of agreements reached during visits of their leaders.

He urged more balanced and sustainable economic and trade ties and stronger affiliation between the two foreign ministries.

Minh requested China to facilitate the import of Vietnamese goods, particularly agro-forestry-fishery products.

He said both sides need to improve the performance of their working groups on infrastructure and finance-currency, thus accelerating construction speed of contracted infrastructure projects.

He asked China to implement preferential credit packages for Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM and Foreign Minister also expressed Vietnam’s concern over the recent complicated developments in the East Sea, and called for compliance of commitments and common perceptions reached by leaders of the two Parties and countries on well controlling disputes and refraining from acts that further complicate the situation while pushing for progress in negotiation mechanisms on disputes at sea.

He noted the need to together with the ASEAN effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and early build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to help maintain peace and stability in the East Sea and the region.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed with his guest on measures to boost Vietnam-China cooperation.

He went on to say both China and ASEAN want to maintain peace, cooperation and control dispute in the East Sea.