Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, Đinh Thế Huynh (L) meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Trung Kiên

BEIJING – Việt Nam treasures the friendly neighbourly ties and comprehensive strategic partnership with China, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, Đinh Thế Huynh, told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday.

Huynh, on a three-day visit to China, added that the relationship with Beijing is based on Việt Nam’s foreign policy of peace, independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and intensive international integration.

The Politburo member expressed satisfaction with the bilateral relation, especially the outcomes of the official visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the State visit to Việt Nam by President Xi last year, and the official visit to China by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc this September.

The official suggested the two countries implement agreements reached by their leaders, intensify political trust, improve the efficiency of co-operation across various fields and enhance people-to-people exchanges.

Huynh also called on the two sides to make an effort to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea (South China Sea), take no actions that complicate and expand their dispute, stringently observe the agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

He also urged joint work with other ASEAN members to reach a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), while seeking long-term solutions to the problems in the spirit of mutual respect and compliance with international law.

For his part, Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping hailed Huynh’s visit and sent regards to Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, President Trần Đại Quang and other senior Party and State officials.

He hailed the success of the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV), expressing his belief that under the leadership of the CPV led by Party General Secretary Trọng, the Vietnamese people will successfully fulfill targets and tasks set in the Congress’s Resolution and achieve more reforms and socialism construction.

As neighbouring socialist nations led by communist parties, Việt Nam and China share many similarities, he said, adding that the two countries’ Party and State leaders have reached common perceptions on which to orient bilateral ties.

The Chinese leader called for increased exchanges of delegations as well as sharing of experience in Party building and national leadership and management, and promoting relations between the two Parties and States.

The same day, Huynh held talks with Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Huynh asserted Việt Nam’s stance of handling the disputes by peaceful measures and on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), while fully respecting diplomatic and legal procedures.

Huynh also called for joint efforts to address issues concerning fisheries and operations of fishermen, and to avoid actions that complicate and broaden disputes, not use or threaten to use force, and not militarise the sea. – VNS