President Xi calls on China, Vietnam to enhance high-level strategic communication

Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on China and Vietnam to enhance high-level strategic communication to move forward the bilateral ties in the right direction.

The remarks were made when Xi held talks with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi during a state visit to the Southeast Asian country.

It's Xi's second visit to Vietnam as head of state and top leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi stressed that as the international and regional circumstances are undergoing profound and complicated changes and the two countries are facing challenges of reform and development, the two parties and two countries should enhance high-level strategic communication.

The two sides should consolidate the momentum of the steady growth of the bilateral trade, and speed up the alignment of their development initiatives -- the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, Xi said.

He said that the two sides should promote cooperation in key areas such as infrastructure, production capacity and cross-border economic cooperation zone.

The two sides should increase input in people-to-people exchanges, and broadly carry out such exchanges, so as to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, particularly between the youths.

Xi said that the two countries should properly manage differences, protect maritime peace and stability, and promote joint exploitation.

China and Vietnam are socialist neighboring countries and important cooperative partners, and the fate of the two parties, two countries and two peoples are closely bound up together with the same political systems and development goals, Xi said.

The CPC and the Chinese government attach great importance to the bilateral ties with Vietnam, and will adhere to the fundamental policy of developing friendly relationship with Vietnam and will commit itself to strengthening comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries, so as to benefit the two peoples, he said.

For his part, Quang extended congratulations on the elevation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the party's guiding principles during the 19th CPC National Congress and on Xi's re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

He said Vietnam highly values the great achievements of China's economic and social development and its contribution to peace and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

Consolidating and strengthening the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is in the fundamental interest of the two countries and two peoples, and is conducive to regional and global peace and stability, Quang said.

Vietnam is willing to work with China to maintain the traditional friendship forged by previous generations of the two countries' leaders, implement the outcomes of Xi's visit, keep high-level exchanges between the two parties and two countries, push forward exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promote in-depth development of the bilateral ties, he added.

Before flying to Hanoi, Xi concluded a busy two-day stay in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang, where he attended the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.