LUANG PRABANG — China and Vietnam pledged on Dec 16 to properly manage maritime issues to create a good atmosphere for the development of bilateral relations.

While meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the top leaders of the two countries conducted exchange of historic visits last year and made top-level design for the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries under the new situation.

China and Vietnam should fully implement the strategic consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries so as to lay a solid foundation for the development of bilateral ties, the state councilor said.

China and Vietnam have far more common interests than differences. The two sides should continue to promote strategic mutual trust and deepen strategic cooperation which serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, Wang noted.

Looking forward to the new year, Wang said the two sides should keep the positive momentum of exchanges at the high-level, fully explore the tremendous potential in economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, speed up the strategic connection between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam’s “Two Corridors and One Economic Circle” plan and push forward the cooperation projects on connectivity and communication so as to achieve substantial progress.

China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination as well as mutual support with Vietnam within the framework of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism and further enrich the content of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, Wang said.

For his part, Pham Binh Minh said development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides has scored satisfactory achievements in 2018, with close exchanges conducted at all levels, two-way trade expanded rapidly and trade structure tended to become balanced.

Vietnam is ready to work together with China to make good preparations for high-level exchanges next year, make good use of the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation and coordination, conduct closer communication and coordination on Lancang-Mekong cooperation so as to further advance the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, he added.

Both Wang Yi and Pham Binh Minh are in Luang Prabang for the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation foreign ministers’ meeting to be held on Dec 17.