President hosts reception for Chinese Ambassador

President To made the above statement at his reception for Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam Xiong Bo.

To expressed thanks to Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulations upon his election as the President of Viet Nam, affirming his readiness to work with President Xi to maintain regular exchanges and contacts between the two nations' senior leaders.

Viet Nam regards the friendly relations and cooperation with China as a strategic choice and priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification, President To reassured.

He hailed crucial contributions of the Ambassador to the relations between the two Parties and countries.

He proposed both sides promote and improve the effectiveness of practical cooperation in all fields, step up cross-border railway connections and work together to develop standard-gauge railways in the northern provinces of Viet Nam.

The President urged China to continue to open its market for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products, fruits, livestock and poultry meat.

To underlined the need to deepen local-to-local cooperation and strengthen friendly exchanges between organizations, people, and young generations of the two countries.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the Vietnamese leader stressed that both sides need to strictly implement high-level agreements and common perceptions, better control and resolve disagreements at sea; respect each other's legitimate rights and interests, actively seek satisfactory solutions in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

Xiong Bo, for his part, reiterated that the Party, Government and people of China attach importance to the friendly neighborly relations and comprehensive cooperation with Viet Nam, considering it as a priority in China's neighboring foreign policy.

China advocates Viet Nam to maintain stability, promote fast development and achieve targets set at the 13th National Party Congress, he asserted.

China will make efforts to implement high-level common perceptions and specific cooperation measures agreed by the two sides as well as strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields, he continued.

He asserted that China will work to better control and resolve disagreements at sea, bring the Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership towards healthy and stable development, bringing practical benefits to their peoples./.