Premier Li Keqiang met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Beijing on April 26.

China and Vietnam are good neighbors, the Premier said, and favorable China-Vietnam ties benefit both sides as well as other nations and people in the vicinity.

China is willing to step up the high-level exchanges with Vietnam, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and facilitate the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategy of two corridors and one circle.

China is willing to maintain bilateral trade balance and realize sustainable development on the basis of an expanded trade scale, Premier Li said.

He said Vietnamese premium products are more than welcome to make inroads into China’s market. Meanwhile, China encourages capable and credited enterprises to invest in Vietnam, with the latter offering a favorable business environment.

Smooth cooperation between China and Vietnam is considerably conducive to both parties. Therefore, China wishes that both will adopt a forward-looking perspective, attach importance to cooperation, and address discords in a reciprocal manner, in a bid to speed up the joint development in a placid South China Sea.

China supports Vietnam’s role as the ASEAN chairman on duty. And China is willing to steadily progress with the negotiation with Vietnam and all parties concerned regarding the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and facilitate the economic development of East Asia as well as the China-ASEAN ties.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc extended his congratulations on the historic achievements China has made over the past 70 years. And he fully affirmed the sound development of the China-Vietnam ties and the broad prospects of pragmatic cooperation.

Vietnam plays an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Nguyen Xuan Phuc said, and Vietnam vows to step up the alignment of respective strategies and facilitate the balanced development of bilateral trades.

Vietnam is willing to carry out the consensus reached by the high-levels of both sides and preserve the long-term stability of the South China Sea.

As the ASEAN chairman on duty in 2020, Vietnam will dedicate to the further development of the China-ASEAN relations, he said.

Premier Li and Nguyen Xuan Phuc witnessed the signing of a string of documents on bilateral cooperation after the meeting.