Việt Nam, China agree to expand trade, promote appropriate management of sea disputes: parliament leaders

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in the bilateral relations between the two Parties and two countries in recent times, including the cooperative exchanges between legislations.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China Zhao Leji on Monday presided over the welcoming ceremony and held talks with Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vương Đình Huệ and the high-level Vietnamese delegation currently visiting China.

Both sides briefed each other on the situations of each Party, each country and their legislative activities and discussed measures to concretise the achievements and high-level mutual understanding achieved during Vietnamese Party leader Nguyễn Phú Trọng's visit to China in 2022 and Chinese Party General Secretary, President Xi Jinping's visit to Việt Nam in 2023.

They also looked at measures to promote and deepen the cooperation between the two legislative bodies.

Both expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in the bilateral relations between the two Parties and two countries in recent times, including the cooperative exchanges between the legislations.

NA Chair Huệ stressed that the Vietnamese Party and State particularly valued the development of stable, healthy, sustainable and long-term relations with China, considering it a strategic choice and top priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification.

His counterpart also underscored that China always regarded Việt Nam as a priority in its neighbourly diplomacy policy and always supported Việt Nam in successfully implementing its industrialisation, modernisation and enhancing its international role.

Both agreed to effectively implement the joint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance as well as maintaining exchanges and contacts at all levels and channels.

The Vietnamese top legislator suggested China facilitate the early establishment of Vietnamese trade promotion offices in Chengdu, Haikou and Nanjing, continue to expand imports of Vietnamese goods, agricultural and aquatic products, early negotiations and sign a framework agreement on rice trade, effectively implement the construction of smart border gates, improve the efficiency of goods clearance and facilitate the transport of Vietnamese goods to third countries via the Asia-Europe railway.

NA Chair Huệ hopes both sides will jointly build 'a new investment image' of large, capable, reputable Chinese enterprises in Việt Nam, while coordinating to resolve lingering issues in some cooperative projects, accelerate the implementation of China's non-refundable aid to Việt Nam and research cooperation in building several standard-gauge railway projects sections Hà Nội-Lào Cai, Hà Nội-Quảng Ninh, Hà Nội-Lạng Sơn.

NPC leader Zhao Leji highly appreciated and expressed agreement with the proposals of the Vietnamese counterpart, affirming that China was ready to deepen substantive cooperation with Việt Nam, expand trade, investment cooperation, strengthen strategic connectivity development, implement high-quality development and enhance strategic connectivity between Belt and Road Initiative and the Two Corridors and One Belt Initiative, with the focus on infrastructure, road transportation, railways and smart border gates, contributing to improving clearance efficiency.

The two countries should promote cooperation to ensure supply chains, production chains, digital economy, green economy, new energy, key minerals and 5G, he agreed.

China also welcomed the opening of new representative offices and trade promotion offices of Việt Nam in various Chinese localities, NPC Chairman noted.

Regarding cooperation between the two legislative bodies, NA Chair Huệ proposed the Vietnamese NA and the Chinese NPC strengthen delegation exchanges of all levels; enhance exchange, sharing of experiences on the activities of the parliament and its agencies, improve the Party's leadership over the State, build a socialist rule of law state, develop and improve the economic and social development policy system and enhance the oversight role of the legislative bodies of the two countries in expediting the implementation of signed documents and agreements between the two countries.

The NPC leader praised the signing of two cooperation documents, establishing cooperation mechanisms at the highest level and reflecting the level of development of cooperation between the two legislative bodies in the overall good relations of the two countries.

He expressed his desire for both sides to make good use of this mechanism, enhance exchanges between Vietnamese NA and Chinese NPC leaders, specialised committees and parliamentary groups, to share experiences in legislative work, supervision and national management in order to better serve the construction of socialism in each country and contribute to promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Việt Nam.

Both sides also engaged in sincere, frank exchanges of views on maritime issues and unanimously agreed to continue implementing the common perception of the leaders of the two Parties and two countries, to appropriately manage the disputes and maintain peace, stability in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea).

The Vietnamese top legislator urged both sides to actively promote substantive negotiation mechanisms at sea, effectively implement agreements on search and rescue cooperation and hotlines on incidents arising from fishing activities and sign a new fishing agreement in the Gulf of Tonkin.

He also wanted the two countries to work together with ASEAN countries and expedite negotiations to build a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) that is in line with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.

The two legislative bodies have also agreed to maintain coordination and cooperation at regional and international forums.