QINGDAO, April 22 -- China and Vietnam held talks on maritime cooperation on less sensitive issues and reached some consensus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.

The eighth round of talks between expert working groups from the two countries was held in Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong Province, from Tuesday to Friday, according to a press release from the ministry.

The two sides discussed maritime cooperation programs such as a comparative study on sedimentary evolution in two river delta regions and a cooperative study on environmental management in the Beibu Gulf, and reached some consensus, the press release said.

The two sides also exchanged views on other areas of cooperation and pledged to implement the agreements already reached between the two countries.

The expert working group, which specializes in maritime cooperation on less sensitive issues, was established in 2012. Since then, China and Vietnam have signed cooperation agreements on two programs, which have helped strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation.