Chinese, Vietnamese FMs hold phone talks over ties

BEIJING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday held a phone conversation with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son over bilateral ties.

China and Vietnam are close neighbors and both of them are pursuing a socialist path, Wang noted.

In a time of unprecedented global changes, a once-in-a-century pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the two countries need to give full play to the political advantages of the two parties and two countries, and carry forward their traditional friendship of "comrades and brothers," said Wang.

The two countries need to run their own things well while maintaining the momentum for development and the revitalization, Wang said, adding they also need to strengthen strategic communication and make new contribution to safeguarding regional peace and stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that China will donate 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to ASEAN members within the year, Wang said.

China is ready to continue to provide Vietnam with anti-pandemic assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies and COVID-19 drugs, while pushing for early delivery of assistance to Vietnamese people's livelihood, Wang said.

Wang called for efforts from both sides to strengthen joint prevention and control efforts in border port areas to ensure the safety of people at border ports and goods exported to China.

Wang also expressed hope that the two countries launch more cross-border railway services, promote connections with the new western land-sea corridor, and build a "green passage" with smoother logistics for high-quality Vietnamese agricultural products exported to China.

At present, the situation in the South China Sea has remained generally stable with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, Wang said, adding that it is precisely some forces outside the region with ulterior motives who are anxious that the South China Sea will not be chaotic.

It serves the common interests of China and Vietnam to maintain peace in the South China Sea, Wang said, noting that it is necessary to give full play to the role of the land boundary negotiations and the three maritime working groups, push for substantive progress in demarcating the waters outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf and joint development in the South China Sea, and avoid unilateral actions that may complicate the situation.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, Wang said, calling for relevant parties to take this opportunity to reach an early agreement on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, so as to provide a more solid guarantee for the long-term stability of the South China Sea.

Wang also expressed hope that Vietnam will play an active and constructive role in this regard.

For his part, Son extended congratulations on China's successful holding of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and wished the 20th national congress of the Communist Party of China a full success.

Always regarding the relationship with China as a top priority of its foreign policy, Vietnam, he said, is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and push for continuous development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Expressing his gratitude for China's vigorous support to Vietnam in fighting the pandemic, he said Vietnam understands and respects China's COVID-19 prevention policy, and expects the two countries to continue to adopt flexible and effective measures to ensure the safety against COVID-19 and the smooth operation of ports.

Against the backdrop of complex international and regional changes, Vietnam is ready to work with China to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, reach a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

He expressed the hope that substantive progress will be made in the consultations of the three maritime working groups of the two sides, with the demarcation of the waters outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf to be promoted as a priority.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine issue. Wang said the Ukraine issue has once again made Asian countries realize that maintaining peace and stability is precious and indulging in group confrontation will lead to endless risks.

The United States tries to create regional tension and provoke confrontation by pushing the "Indo-Pacific Strategy," which will seriously damage the hard-won peaceful development in the region and seriously erode the regional cooperation structure centered on ASEAN, he said.

We cannot let the Cold War mentality return to the region and the tragedy of Ukraine be repeated around us, Wang said.

Noting that both China and Vietnam are socialist countries, he said that China is willing to strengthen unity and cooperation with Vietnam, resist external risks, cope with the spillover impact of the Ukraine crisis on the region, and play an active role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

Son said that Vietnam welcomes China's contribution to promoting peace talks, ending conflicts and preventing humanitarian crises.

Vietnam maintains that all relevant parties should abide by the UN Charter and international law, and seek a long-term solution to differences on the basis of respecting the lawful rights and interests and interests of all parties.

Vietnam shares many similarities with China in its position and hopes to continue communication with China on the Ukrainian issue, Son said.