During his official visit to Vietnam from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with Vietnamese leaders, met with youth representatives, and delivered a speech at the National Assembly of Vietnam. The two countries' leaders reached broad joint awareness on strengthening and further developing the relations between the two parties and the two states, as well as international and regional issues of common concern.
Recognizing the importance of closer friendship, increased mutual trust, reinforced cooperation in a win-win relationship and joint development, the leaders of the two countries are determined to take measures to beef up exchange and cooperation between the two parties, governments, national assemblies, mass organisations, and localities in various fields, including politics, economics, diplomacy, defense, police, security, culture and education.
The traditional friendship between China and Vietnam has entered a new stage of comprehensive cooperation, and mutual respect, understanding, support, trust and cooperation has remained the driving force of the development of the bilateral relations and the friendship between the two peoples, Hu made the comment in a speech at the National Assembly of Vietnam on Nov. 1. The Chinese president said the development is manifested in the guidelines set by the two countries' leaders for long-term stability, orientation toward future, good-neighborliness and friendship and comprehensive cooperation. "It is indicated by the common call of the two sides to be good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners forever," he stated.
In a joint statement issued during the visit, Vietnam and China agreed to complete the process of land border demarcation and sign new documents on border management by 2008 at the latest, making the two countries' border the border of peace, friendship and permanent stability. They also agreed to keep on implementing the Tonkin Gulf Demarcation Agreement and the Tonkin Gulf Fishery Cooperation Agreement which came into force in June 2004.
Vietnam and China agreed to cooperate in cross-border exploration of oil and gas in the Tonkin Gulf and start joint patrol there as early as possible. The two countries said they will study the possibility of implementing joint development projects in the Eastern Sea. The two sides highly appreciated the trilateral agreement inked last March by oil firms from Vietnam, China, and the Philippines to jointly tap the oil and gas resources in the sea.
They agreed to broaden and deepen the Vietnam-China trade ties so that the target of posting bilateral trade of USUS$10 billion in 2010 will be realized ahead of schedule. The two sides will have smoother coordination on facilitating large economic projects, and jointly encourage their enterprises to boost cooperation on a long-term basis. China expressed strong support for Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation. The two countries agreed to accelerate the establishment of a free trade area between China and ASEAN (the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
At a recent meeting of the China-Vietnam Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation, the two sides agreed to beef up their economic and trade cooperation, and gain the two-way trade of USUS$15 billion by 2010. China has become Vietnam's biggest trading partner with the bilateral trade standing at over USUS$7.2 billion in 2004 or 190 folds over 1991. The figure is expected to climb to USUS$8.2 billion dollars in 2005. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area was formally launched in July. Since then both sides have gradually cut down tariffs on more than 7,000 goods items, so that all the duties will be removed by 2010 (for six old ASEAN members), and by 2015 (for four newer members, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) as targeted.
During Mr. Hu's visit, Vietnam and China inked a series of cooperation documents, including an economic and technical cooperation agreement, totaling over USUS$1 billion. The most remarkable documents relate to the modernisation of railway signal systems in some parts of Vietnam, China's electricity export to six northern Vietnamese provinces, development of a fertilizer plant in northern Hai Phong City, and construction of thermoelectric plants in northern Quang Ninh province.
Dong Phong
Vietnamese
