(VOVworld)- The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Beijing on Thursday, beginning an official visit to China at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping.

Vietnamese Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and Chinese Party leader and President Xi Jinping

An official welcoming ceremony for Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and the Vietnamese delegation was held at the People’s Great Hall. Following the welcome ceremony, the two leaders held talks on ways to strengthen bilateral relationship between the two Parties and countries in the near future. Chinese Party leader and President Xi Jinping affirmed that China attaches much importance to ties with Vietnam and stands ready to work with the Party, State and people of Vietnam in strengthening the bilateral friendship and partnership, making the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership grow in a healthy and stable manner.Vietnamese Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that Vietnam always places importance to the ties with China and sincerely wishes to develop the sustainable friendship and win-win comprehensive cooperation with China for the sake of their people as well as peace, and prosperity in the region and the world.
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Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong said: “I’m very happy to visit China and meet the Party leader and President Xi Jinping. On behalf of the high-ranking Vietnamese  delegation, I would like to express our sincere thank to the Chinese leaders for their warm welcome. On behalf of the Vietnamese Party and State, I would like to congratulate China’s great achievements in its cause of reform and building socialism with Chinese characteristics, especially its achievements since the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of China."
Both sides agreed to continuously maintain high-ranking exchanges and meetings between leaders of the two Parties and States to promptly exchange views and tackle issues arising in bilateral ties as well as make strategic orientations and directions to boost cooperation, maintain friendship and develop Vietnam-China ties in a healthy and stable fashion.

The leaders also agreed to promote and improve existing collaboration mechanisms between the two Parties and countries, especially meetings between representatives of the two Politburos, the Steering Committee for the Vietnam-China bilateral cooperation for strengthening the full implementation of bilateral agreements.
The two countries should also show close coordination at multilateral forums, while supporting each other in running to positions in international organisations.

Xi pledged that China will do its utmost to assist Vietnam in hosting the APEC Summit 2017, while the Vietnamese side affirmed support to China in organising an international cooperation summit on “One Belt, One Road” in 2017.
They also agreed to discuss principles and specific contents of a master plan on the building of Vietnam-China cross-border economic cooperation zones, so that the deal will be signed soon.
Regarding the issues at sea, the two Party leaders shared the view that this is the major outstanding problem existed in Vietnam-China relations and the issue is very complicated and vital, hugely affecting and governing the political trust, people’s sentiments, the state of the two countries’ relations, as well as the face and situation in the region and the world.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong asserted Vietnam’s consistent stance of persistently dealing with the dispute in the East Sea by peaceful measures in compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with respect to diplomatic and legal processes; fully and efficiently executing the “Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC)” and  striving together with ASEAN to soon accomplish a “Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC)”.