Vietnam and China agreed?in Hanoi?on Friday to further strengthen the cooperation in the economic corridor involving China's Yunnan province and four Vietnamese localities of Hanoi, Lao Cai, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh.

The agreement was made in the minutes signed by the involved parties at the wrapping up of the fifth conference on Vietnam-China economic corridor.

Under the minutes of the fifth conference, the Chinese Yunnan province and four localities of Vietnam reached a high consensus on drawing up a more effective and tighten cooperation mechanism in areas of trade and investment, transportation, tourism, education and training, culture, sports, health care, management of social order in the corridor, especially along the border areas, crime prevention, and human trafficking.

Speaking at the closure of the fifth conference, chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen The Thao said that agreement reached at the conference represents a vitality of an active cooperation mechanism between the two countries in the coming time.

It will help each country navigate in the impacts of the global economic downturn, making contribution to peace and stability in the region and the world, said Nguyen The Thao.

During the two-session conference, participants called on speeding up the construction of infrastructure at border gates including bridges, expressways and inland cargo deport to facilitate trade and investment among five localities of China and Vietnam.

The participants also proposed measures to address shortcomings and differences in investment policies and regulations of the two countries which make the cooperation of the Vietnam-China economic corridor slow down.

The sixth annual conference on Vietnam-China economic corridor will be held in northern Lao Cai province of Vietnam in 2010.