Chinese Top Lawmaker Meets Vietnamese PMDevelopment of trade between the two countries has taken strides in recent years, with the total bilateral trade volume exceeding 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2000, Li said. Investment, project construction and labor exchanges have been expanded and the signing of agreements on the Beibu Gulf demarcation and fishery cooperation will provide important guarantee for more sustained economic cooperation between the two countries, according to Li. China is willing to ensure that the major projects with Chinese assistance will be completed as planned and active measures will be adopted to promote continued increase of border trade, Li said. He also pledged that after its accession to the World Trade Organization, China will as always adhere to the principle of equality and mutual benefits to strengthen economic cooperation with ASEAN countries, including Vietnam. Phan Van Khai spoke highly of the Sino-Vietnamese Joint Statement signed in Beijing last year, saying that the it is of great significance to the bilateral relations in the 21st century, and a series of agreements already made this year has indicated that substantial progress has been made for the relations between the two countries. Khai said that Vietnam is grateful to China for two projects aimed at assisting technical renovation for two large-scale plants in the country, which produced iron and steal and fertilizers. He said that there are also great potentials for further development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and both sides should take various measures to expand such cooperation. |
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