Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang speaks at the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on December 14. (Photo: VNA)According to the spokeswoman, after 15 years since theestablishment of the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperativepartnership, the relations between Vietnam and China as well as between theirparties have been continuously expanded and deepened. Bilateral cooperationacross fields has made significant and comprehensive progress.
The nations maintain contacts, dialogues, and exchanges atvarious levels, particularly high-level visits, she said.
During a state visit to Vietnam on December 12 and 13 by GeneralSecretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Presidentof the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and his spouse, the two sides issued ajoint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensivestrategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and building aVietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategicsignificance.
Both sides agreed to build a community with a shared futurethat carries strategic significance, striving for their peoples’ happiness andfor the peace and progress of humankind, Hang said.
She went on adding that Vietnam and China also concurred thatthe development of their relations needs to comply with the United Nations Charter, international law, and basic norms of international relations; to persistwith mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits, win-win cooperation, respectfor each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity; and to persist with thesettlement of differences through peaceful measures.
This is a common future that the sides share and aspireto, in line with the interests of both countries, contributing to the trends ofpeace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world, Hangaffirmed.
Regarding the content of the shared-future community cooperation betweenVietnam and China, the spokeswoman stated that cooperation orientationsbetween the two Parties and two countries in the time to come concerning bilateral,regional, and global aspects have been specifically outlined in the jointstatement.
Among the 36 cooperation documents signed between the sides duringthe visit, two are related to railway cooperation. These are the Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and theNational Development and Reform Commission of China on strengthening Vietnam-Chinarailway cooperation, and the MoU between the Vietnamese ministry and theInternational Development Cooperation Agency of China on strengthening aidcooperation for railway development across the Vietnam – China border.
Regarding the prospects for cooperation in this area, Hangsaid the two sides have agreed to study and promote the construction of a standardgauge railway for the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong route, and study similar standardrailways for the Dong Dang - Hanoi - Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong route at anappropriate time. The implementation of these projects will contribute toenhancing connectivity cooperation within the "Two Corridors, OneBelt" framework and the "Belt and Road" initiative./.
VNA
