Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agreed on November 19 on the sideline of ASEAN Business Summit in Singapore to boost the bilateral trade to US$15 billion by 2010, beefing up the establishment of the economic zones along the border areas and the completion of land and waters border demarcation, state media reported.
PM Dung expressed his great attention in the recently arising problems regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) territories and called for concerted efforts and proper settlements from the both sides based on the bilateral strategic heightened cooperation, good friendship, good comrades, the Voice of Vietnam said.
The Vietnamese leader requested that related sides need to boost closer ties in finding settlements for disputed areas based on international conventions and laws with their highest agreement.
Mr. Nguyen also called on the Chinese government to consider and provide soft loans worth $500 million for the projects the government of Vietnam proposed previously in “the two corridors, one economic belt”.
In turn, Mr. Wen said the two sides should resolutely abide by agreements reached by top leaders of the two sides earlier, and strive to maintain peace, stability with great control and peacefully settle arising problems.
Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Wen reached a common consensus on pushing up tripartite cooperation among Vietnam, China and the Philippines in the agreed areas on South China Sea.
Mr. Wen agreed to strengthen the completion of land border demarcation next year, and continue the joint fishing patrol and navy forces as well as expanding joint oil and gas survey and exploitation between the two sides in Tonkin Gulf.
Chinese high-ranking officials attended the summit this time to iron out any issues with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on track to free trade agreements after the 10-member bloc put on hold a similar accord with India because of disagreements on tariff cuts.
China signed a limited free-trade zone agreement with Asean in July 2005. It will gradually eliminate levies on about 7,000 commodities from Asean by 2010, covering 93 per cent of China's imports from the region.
The accord between India, the world's second-most populous country, and Asean would boost annual trade between the two, which is already worth more than US$23 billion. By comparison, trade between China and the group exceeds US$160 billion annually.
Southeast Asian nations signed a landmark charter that will create an agency to review the region’s human rights, which will have no teeth because it has no powers to punish notorious violators like Myanmar.
Since Vietnam was admitted to WTO and nominated for the seat in the United Nations Security Council, it is hoped to play more active role in global games. Hanoi is highly valued with good approaches with communist countries like Cuba, China, Myanmar and North Korea recently, domestic media said. (Voice of Vietnam, Youth)
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