(VOVworld)  - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman have agreed on initiatives to further their bilateral strategic partnership across politics, economics, national defense-security, and labor. Their meeting took place on Thursday on the sidelines of the 27th ASEAN Summit and related meetings held in Kuala Lumpur from November 18-22. The officials discussed accelerating the signing of the 2015-2018 Action Plan and agreements on the extradition and transfer of sentenced prisoners, and a government-level memorandum of understanding on rice trade. They agreed to continue the meeting mechanism of the Vietnam-Malaysia Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation in 2016 and facilitate business and investment in key fields. Expressing concern about recent developments in the East Sea, they shared the view that ASEAN should stand united, responsible and active and enhance its central role in resolving the issue. They agreed that ASEAN should work to fully realise the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and promptly formulate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, while stepping up efforts to build trust and prevent conflicts in the East Sea.