Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Both sides expressed their willingness to settle the South China Sea issue through peaceful negotiation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Gia Khiem on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Both sides expressed their willingness to settle the South China Sea issue through peaceful negotiation.

Yang said, the two countries should avoid internationalizing and complicating things further. He also expressed support for a recent China-ASEAN agreement, setting out guidelines for conduct in the South China Sea.

Pham Gia Khiem, welcomed it, saying Vietnam will strive to reach a consensus with China as soon as possible. Both sides stressed, that despite recent disagreements, bilateral relations have seen positive development in recent years.