Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on July 11 for Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo who came to say goodbye at the end of his tenure.

The two sides rejoiced at positive developments and new milestones in the relationship between the two Parties and countries during the ambassador’s term in Vietnam.

PM Chinh commended the diplomat’s significant contributions to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially his efforts in promoting and arranging many visits by high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries, notably the China visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in October 2022, and the trip to Vietnam by Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in December 2023.

Chinh emphasised that Vietnam and China remain each other's top trading partners, and Chinese investment in the Southeast Asian nation has increased sharply.

The PM also highlighted tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, with the number of Vietnamese students in China doubling the figure recorded five years ago.

He suggested competent agencies of the two countries closely coordinate with each other to early materialise the cooperative contents that the two sides had agreed upon during his recent trip to China for the 15th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting of the New Champions and working sessions.

The PM called on China to increase its import of Vietnamese agricultural products, and suggested the two sides cooperate in building a number of standard-gauge railway routes connecting the two countries, step up border transport infrastructure connectivity, upgrade border gates, enhance border economic collaboration, boost tourism collaboration, well manage land border, enhance people-to-people exchanges, intensify the communications work to promote the traditional friendship, and maintain their close coordination and cooperation as well as mutual support at multilateral mechanisms and forums.

Regarding maritime issues, PM Chinh said the two countries should adhere to important common perceptions reached by their high-ranking leaders, the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China, and international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while promoting the role of maritime negotiation mechanisms and well controlling the situation at sea in accordance with the new position of the bilateral relations.

For his part, Xiong congratulated Vietnam on its great, important achievements across spheres, especially socio-economic development, and pled🎃ged to further contribute to the implementation of such common perceptions, and the building of the com🦹munity with a shared future that carries strategic significance./.