Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính had a telephone talk with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang held a phone conversation on Tuesday, where the two praised the positive developments in bilateral ties in recent times.

The Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that China would achieve even greater victories on the journey of building China into a modern Socialist country that is prosperous, democratic, civilised, harmonious, and beautiful, with an increasingly elevated international position, and making positive contributions to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The Chinese Premier conveyed warm regards from Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, and other senior leaders of China, to Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and other high-level leaders of Việt Nam, congratulating Việt Nam on its important achievements in recent times.

The two leaders agreed that the traditional friendship of "comradery and brotherhood" between Việt Nam and China, which was personally built and nurtured by the late President Hồ Chí Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong along with generations of leaders of the two countries, is a precious common asset of the two Parties and two countries that needs to be constantly protected, and promoted.

They emphasised the importance of the bilateral relationship for each country's development and peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The two leaders agreed to promote the orientations and perceptions reached between the two Party chiefs during the visit last year, increasing high-level delegation exchanges and enhancing cooperation across fields like trade towards a balanced, effective, and sustainable manner.

Việt Nam and China will also expand friendship exchanges between localities and people's organisations, maintain friendly cooperation mechanism between the two countries' defence and public security ministries, and continue to implement the three legal documents on land borders effectively, quickly handling any issues and jointly building the Việt Nam-China border into one of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

PM Chính asked the two sides to study measures to keep two-way trade running smoothly and increase customs clearance efficiency while augmenting air, road, sea, and rail linkages between the two countries.

He also asked China to facilitate the import of Vietnamese agricultural products, increase the quota for Vietnamese products to be exported via China's railway system to a third country, and create conditions for opening more Vietnamese trade promotion offices in China.

PM Chính also urged China to have more large-scale, quality, hi-tech projects in Việt Nam, and deal effectively with standing issues in several cooperation projects, such as the second phase of the expansion of Thái Nguyên steel company.

Chinese leader Li Qiang expressed appreciation towards and agreed with the proposals raised by the Vietnamese counterpart on areas of cooperation between the two countries, saying that China supported Việt Nam in successfully implementing its industrialisation and modernisation goals and enhancing its international role.

He also said that China was willing to open its market to Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural products, and cooperate with Việt Nam to promote the resolution of important outstanding cooperation projects that had been prolonged.

Premier Li Qiang proposed that Việt Nam and China enhance strategic connectivity and assist each other in linking up transportation infrastructure; promote cooperation in economics, trade, and investment, especially in manufacturing, agriculture, and maintaining supply and production chains.

Restoring tourism cooperation and boosting people-to-people exchanges will also be high on both countries' agendas.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, both sides agreed to make efforts to maintain peace and stability and handle disputes at sea in the spirit of high-level mutual understanding and the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues.

PM Chính stressed both sides needed to effectively utilise negotiation mechanisms for demarcation and cooperation at sea, striving for progress in a step-by-step and gradual manner, resolving disputes and differences via peaceful measures, following international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Both sides would also need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and work towards building a substantive, effective, and internationally law-compliant Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).VNS