Chinese premier meets Vietnamese deputy PM

BEIJING, June 18 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh here on Thursday, calling for unity and closer cooperation between the two countries.

Li said neighborly friendship has been the mainstream of China-Vietnam ties over the past 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Hailing the good momentum of the bilateral relationship this year, Li said the two sides should implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the countries, advance their partnership in an enduring, healthy and stable way, and promote peace and stability in the region.P He said there are many more common areas of interest than disputes between China and Vietnam.

"The two sides should keep in mind the general direction of the bilateral relationship as well as the big picture of friendship and cooperation," according to Li, who stressed the importance of frequent high-level interactions, existing mechanisms of cooperation, and timely and in-depth communication.

He said the two countries should calmly handle their disputes and advance cooperation at sea, on land and in finance simultaneously.

Li said he looked forward to closer cooperation in infrastructure, and industry in pursuit of win-win reciprocal results.

The premier also called for more interaction between the countries' sub-national governments and people -- especially between the young.

Pham Binh Minh said the Vietnamese government as well as the Communist Party of Vietnam regards the Vietnam-China relationship as a priority in the country's foreign policy.

Echoing Li on the status of bilateral ties, he said Vietnam stands ready to maintain high-level interactions, boost cooperation, increase people-to-people exchanges and appropriately handle its disputes with China.

Earlier on Thursday, Pham Binh Minh and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-chaired the eighth meeting of the China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation in Beijing.