Chinese and Vietnamese top leaders agreed in Hanoi Thursday to
comprehensively promote bilateral ties while adhering to the
principles of long-term stability, future-orientation, friendship
and overall cooperation.
Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, held talks in
Hanoi Thursday afternoon with General Secretary of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh and
President Nguyen Minh Triet.
Allowing the leaders to exchange in-depth views, the talks
focused on relations between the two parties and the two countries,
as well as major international and regional issues of common
concern.
Hu spoke highly of the Vietnamese people’s achievements under
the CPV's leadership and said he hoped that the Vietnamese people
will build the country into a modern socialist industrialized one
at an early date.
Nong said Hu's visit demonstrates the great attention China has
paid to bilateral friendship and cooperation, and its support for
Vietnam as the host of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
Economic Leaders' Meeting.
Hu voiced his satisfaction with the development of bilateral
relations and cooperation, and Nong expressed the Vietnamese side's
pleasure at the extensive and in-depth mutual development in such
fields as politics, economy, trade, culture, education, youth
exchanges as well as science and technology.
Hu stressed that the Chinese side places great importance in
bilateral relations and proposed a four-point proposal for the
further development of bilateral relations.
The first is to safeguard the general situation of
Sino-Vietnamese friendship by strengthening high-level contacts and
increasing mutual political trust.
The second is to stick to equality and reciprocity in common
development and prosperity by expanding economic and trade
cooperation, pushing forward important projects, strengthening
multi-lateral economic alliances such as within the World Trade
organization and the building of the China-ASEAN (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations) free trade area.
The third is to comprehensively promote bilateral cooperation by
giving full play to the cooperation mechanisms between diplomatic,
defense, public security departments of the two countries, and
expanding exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, science,
technology, health, human resources, youth and sports.
The fourth is to safeguard common interests and strengthen
coordination and cooperation in multi-lateral fields such as
international and regional affairs. The Chinese side supports
Vietnam to take a bigger role in international and regional
affairs.
Hu noted that both sides should take into consideration of the
general situation of bilateral relations, speed up their
demarcation work, strengthen substantial cooperation in the Beibu
Gulf, and promote common development in the South China Sea.
Nong said Vietnam prioritizes relations with China and hopes
that both sides will enhance high-level exchanges, mutual political
trust, and cultural partnership, infrastructure, electricity and
chemicals, as well as bilateral cooperation in the United Nations,
APEC, ASEAN+China mechanism.
He went on to say that Vietnam will determinedly and properly
settle the border and territory issues with China through friendly
negotiations.
Nong said the Vietnamese side will always abide by the one-China
policy and support China's reunification.
After the talks, the two leaders attended a signing ceremony for
bilateral cooperative documents covering economy, trade, human
resources, health and quarantine, as well as the opening ceremony
of a website for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Hu arrived in Hanoi at noon Thursday from central Vietnam's Da
Nang City where he started the state visit Wednesday. Hu is also
scheduled to attend the 14th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in
Hanoi from November 17 to 19.
Vietnam is the first leg of Hu's four-nation tour, which will
also take him to Laos, India and Pakistan.
Chinese statistics show that Sino-Vietnamese trade volume last
year reached over US$8 billion, with the 2006 total expected to top
US$10 billion.
(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2006)
