The meeting was held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, from March 5-8, and chaired by Le Hoai Trung, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the National Border Committee and his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung
At the meeting, the two sides reviewed their cooperation, highly appreciated recent good developments, and further discussed measures to boost bilateral relations in the time to come, especially the implementation of agreements and common conceptions reached by leaders of the two Party and governments, and maintenance of peace and stability at sea.
The two sides agreed to work together to well prepare for high-level visits between the two countries in 2017; the 10th meeting of the steering committee for Vietnam-China cooperation; and exchanges between the two parties, parliaments and the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as exchanges in important sectors such as diplomacy. The two sides agreed to coordinate to make preparations for high-ranking visits between the two countries in 2017, the 10th meeting of the steering committee for Vietnam-China cooperation, and exchanges between the two parties, parliaments and the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as exchanges in important sectors such as diplomacy, defense-security and law enforcement.
The two sides agreed to coordinate to make preparations for high-ranking visits between the two countries in 2017, the 10th meeting of the steering committee for Vietnam-China cooperation, and exchanges between the two parties, parliaments and the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as exchanges in important sectors such as diplomacy, defense-security and law enforcement.
The two sides promised to encourage long-term partnerships between their businesses and improve cooperation in the sectors of transport, agriculture, environment-natural resources, and technology.
The two sides will also work closely in response to climate change, sustainably using shared water resources, including the Mekong River, while increasing people-to-people exchanges and mutually beneficial affiliation between localities.
Lauding the role of land border cooperation mechanisms between the two countries in maintaining border security and order, both sides agreed to continue to enforce legal documents on land border, open new border gates and upgrade existing ones as agreed before, and apply facilitation measures for customs clearance towards stimulating economic growth in border areas.
Regarding maritime issues, the two sides reached a consensus on respecting agreements and common conceptions of leaders of the two Parties and countries, particularly the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues.
The two sides will make use of existing negotiation and cooperation mechanisms to build trust; persevere in resolving disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures and promote cooperation in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and work with ASEAN member states in speeding up negotiations to finalize a Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters.
They also reached agreement on controlling sea disputes without taking any move that can complicate the situation in order to maintain peace and security in the East Sea.
The Vietnamese delegation took the occasion to express the country’s position on recent complicated developments in the East Sea.
Translated by Chung Anh