Hanoi, Beijing To Seek Long-term Settlement for Waters, Beef up Trade
Vietnam and China have agreed to search for stable and long-term settlement for waters delineation and pledged to expand bilateral trade to US$25 billion in 2010, the government and the Communist Party of Vietnam have said on their websites.
The commitments were reached between Vietnamese top leaders and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Hanoi on March 19.
“Stable friendship ties are of great significance to Beijing and Hanoi, based on which, the two countries will absolutely find stable and long-term solutions to issues on waters,” Dai Bingguo told President Triet.
Meanwhile, Triet proposed Vietnam and China as good comrades and neighbors should avoid further complicating the waters situation.
Amid the global downturn, two-way trade hit US$22 billion last year, and the sides should expand the trade to US$25 billion in 2010, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told Dai Bingguo.
On this occasion, China has agreed to provide US$300 million of soft loans to Vietnam.
Last year, Hanoi incurred a hefty trade deficit of over US$11 billion, 57 times higher than in 2001 and accounting for 62.82 per cent of Hanoi's trade deficit. (chinhphu.vn, CPV)
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