This satellite image shows the Yongshu Jiao of China's Nansha Islands. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and Vietnam vowed on Monday to maintain peace at sea and to handle disputes well.

The promise came after President Xi Jinping met with the first special envoy sent by Hanoi following a political reshuffle in the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with the envoy sent by the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Great Hall of the People.

The Vietnamese Party expects to maintain maritime peace and stability and advance the partnership between Hanoi and Beijing, Trong said in a message to Xi delivered by envoy Hoang Binh Quan, head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Commission for External Relations.

Trong said the two countries "have many common fundamental interests", adding that a good and stable bilateral relationship is in line with the interests of both nations' people.

He also expects to strengthen Vietnamese cooperation with China in economic and other fields.

Trong was re-elected to his position at the 12th CPV National Congress, which ended on Jan 28. The congress also appointed a new 19-member Politburo.

Quan informed Xi of developments made at the congress.

It is tradition for the heads of the CPC and CPV to send special envoys to notify or congratulate each other on key national or party decisions.

On Jan 29, after the Vietnamese Congress session, Trong met with Song Tao, a special envoy sent by Xi and head of the CPC Central Committee's International Department.

On Monday, Xi told the Vietnamese envoy that sending envoys to each other's country after the 12th CPV National Congress "carries great significance in boosting political trust between the two parties and two nations".

He used the term "community of common destiny" to describe relations between the two countries, adding that Beijing is willing to work with Hanoi to "properly handle relevant divisions".

Pham Nguyen Long, a senior researcher of international relations at the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, said a key topic for Quan's visit is the South China Sea issue, which has become increasingly complex.

"The trip is also aimed at curbing tensions over the South China Sea," he said.

He said he believed that bilateral relations will continue to be good after the Vietnamese political reshuffle.

Pan Jin'e, a researcher of Vietnamese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the re-election of Trong would help with a smooth transition. "We do not expect major changes in Vietnam's China policies," Pan added.