China welcomes Vietnam in solving maritime disputes

China and Vietnam can solve their maritime disputes as long as they draw on "successful experience" and do their work with "resolution, patience and perseverance", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

Hua made the remarks after Reuters reported that Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Vietnam wasn't pursuing a military buildup over the South China Sea and would seek peaceful solutions to disputes.

Phuc also said his country needed regional friends and strategic partners to ensure peace.

Spokeswoman Hua said: "As traditionally friendly neighbors, China and Vietnam totally have wisdom and capacity to solve relevant disputes through negotiation and consultation."

She referred to the two countries settling bilateral land border disputes a "successful experience".

After more than 30 years of negotiation, China and Vietnam finished demarcation of their land boundary line by signing three legal documents in 2009.

On Tuesday, Chinese and Vietnamese diplomats attended a meeting held in Nanning, Guangxi to review the implementation of the documents.

Hua said the settlement of disputes turned the two countries' 1,450-kilometer long land border "from a frontline of frontier defense to a bridge and link" for bilateral cooperation.