Vietnam and China have agreed to boost political trust, spur exchanges of high-ranking visits and make cooperation more substantive.

Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (L) and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold talks on April 14. Photo: Baoquocte

The idea was revealed in a phone talk held on April 14 between Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

They discussed maritime issues in an open manner, vowing to solve disputes in the spirit of respecting the legitimate rights of both sides on the basis of the principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues reached by the two countries’ leaders and in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

They expected significant developments in negotiations of the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the South China Sea.

On the armed conflicts in Ukraine, Son said Vietnam supports peaceful settlement with priorities given to the safety of civilians, protection of essential infrastructure, humanity, dialogues, and efforts for reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine.

Regarding other issues, the two countries will cooperate for smooth trade links with a focus on removing border transaction barriers and reaching mutual recognition of vaccine passports.

Wang Yi, for his part, said that China attached great importance to developing the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, making it one of the priorities in China’s neighborhood diplomacy.