Chinese premier meets with Vietnam's communist party chief

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee on Tuesday in Beijing.

Noting that China and Vietnam share broad common interests, Li said China attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam.

He called on the two countries to maintain high-level exchanges, enhance communication and mutual learning, and deepen the alignment of their development strategies to address global uncertainties and instabilities with the stability of the China-Vietnam relationship.

Li said China is willing to implement the consensus the two sides have already reached, and make full use of convenient conditions such as geographical proximity and complementary industrial advantages to upgrade bilateral economic and trade cooperation and facilitate cooperation in key areas.

"China is ready to import more marketable agricultural products from Vietnam and jointly maintain the facilitation of trade with Vietnam at border ports," he said.

On China-ASEAN relations, Li said China stands ready to work with ASEAN countries to consolidate traditional friendship, promote cooperation in areas across the board to yield more achievements, and jointly maintain the peace and stability of the South China Sea, so as to create an enabling environment for their respective development and bring more benefits to the people of the region.

For his part, Trong said Vietnam stands ready to work with the Chinese side to implement their consensus, further increase mutual understanding, promote cooperation, seek common development, enhance their "comrades and brothers" relationship, and bring concrete benefits to the two countries and two peoples.