On maritime issues, both sides came to terms on seriously carryingout common perceptions reached by leaders of the two countries and theVietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement ofsea-related issues, properly settling maritime issues for peace andstability at sea.
The two sides officially set up a WorkingGroup to discuss cooperation for mutual development at sea in theframework of governmental negotiations on Vietnam-China border andterritory and agreed on the group’s operation mechanism. They agreedthat the group will convene the first meeting early next year to devisethe specific content and guiding principles for discussions oncooperation for mutual development at sea.
The officialsconsented to stepping up negotiations on areas beyond the mouth of theGulf of Tonkin with a view to early achieving substantialoutcomes, and saw eye to eye on joint survey sites in areas ofoverlapping claims in waters beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin.
The two sides reached a consensus on deploying twocooperation deals on less-sensitive issues signed during Chinese PrimeMinister Li Keqiang’s recent visit to Vietnam while exerting effortsto seek other agreements on maritime environment protection, marinescience research, search and rescue at sea, and disaster prevention.
Referring to land border issue, they highly valued what was reachedat the meeting of the Vietnam-China Land Border Joint Committee inHanoi on December 4-5. The two sides agreed to accelerate thenegotiations on an agreement on free navigation at the mouth of the BacLuan river and another on exploiting and protecting tourism resources atBan Gioc waterfalls with the aim to sign them next year.
Theywill also push forward the construction of a cross-border economiccooperation area on the basis of ensuring sovereignty over border andterritory in line with each country’s law, as well as the building andupgrade of several border gates and the linkage of traffic routes atborder gates, making it easier for travelling.
Other issues inbilateral relations were also tabled for discussion, with attentiongiven to measures aimed at further deepening the Vietnam – Chinacomprehensive strategic partnership in the coming time.
Thesame day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minhreceived head of the Chinese negotiating delegation Deputy ForeignMinister Liu Zhenmin.-VNA