Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday that China is ready to work with Vietnam to expand continental and maritime cooperation.

Li made the remarks when meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Dung was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the tenth China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, which will be held from Tuesday to Friday.

Li said that China and Vietnam are close neighbors and important cooperation partners.

Both as developing countries, the common interests of the two sides outweigh their differences, he added.

As the world economy is recovering slowly, the emerging economies are facing new challenges, he said, calling on the two countries to enhance political mutual trust and expand continental and maritime cooperation.

He also suggested the two sides expand educational, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and enhance public support for the relations between the two countries.

The premier elaborated China's stance on the South China Sea issue. He said the two sides should enhance dialogue and communication and properly manage and control their differences, and work to turn the challenges brought about by maritime issues into opportunities of cooperation, so as to create a good environment for the launch of big cooperative projects between the two nations.

Dung said it is Vietnam's strategic choice to firmly adhere to a China policy featuring good neighborliness and comprehensive cooperation.

He expressed gratitude for China's long-term support to Vietnam, adding that Vietnam is ready to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, increase political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation.

Vietnam will work with China to resolve the maritime issue through friendly negotiations, so as to push for greater development of bilateral relations, said Dung. Endi