Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (Source: VNA) Hanoi, (VNA) – Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son made aphone call to Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on April16.
Son took the occasion to brief his Chinese counterpart onVietnam’s guideline for external relations defined at the 13th National Party Congress, under which Vietnam consistently pursues an independent foreign policy for peace, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralization,and comprehensive and in-depth international integration.
The FM reiterated that maintaining and developing thetraditional friendship and the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnershipwith China is always one of the top priorities in Vietnam’s external policy.
FM Wang Yi affirmed that China attaches importance to promotingthe comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Vietnam andcongratulated Vietnam on the success of the 13th National PartyCongress and the 11th session of the 14th National Assembly,during which the country selected a new leadership and defined socio-economicdevelopment targets for the years ahead.
The two FMs shared the view that the two parties and countries’relations continue to maintain a positive development trend, with regularexchanges and contacts at all levels held in flexible forms, and economic-tradecooperative growing despite the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The twocountries have shared medical supplies and experience in fighting the pandemic,and supported each other in times of natural disasters.
The two sides agreed to promote exchanges at high level andother levels, and invited each other to make mutual visit at an appropriatetime for direct discussion. They also vowed to bring into full play the role ofthe two Foreign Ministries in coordinating and promoting cooperation across thefields in bilateral ties towards a healthy and substantial growth ofeconomic-trade relations, and maintain discussions on international andregional issues of mutual concern.
Thetwo sides discussed sea-related issues in a sincere and straightforward manner andagreed to continue optimizing the role of existing negotiating mechanisms. MinisterSon said that the two sides should handle disputes in the spirit of respectingeach other’s legitimate rights and interests, bilateral agreements and commonperception, and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Lawof the Sea, and work together with ASEAN to achieve positive progress regardinga Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC)./.
