China, Vietnam further develop cooperation

China and Vietnam should strengthen strategic communication, keep developing their ties and make cooperation between their border areas play a bigger role in promoting ties, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Wang made the remark while attending a ceremony with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the demarcation of the two countries' land boundary and the 10th anniversary of the erection of boundary markers.

China and Vietnam signed their land border treaty in December 1999, and it took effect in July 2000.

China and Vietnam stuck to resolving their land border issues through talks and spent nine years to get the treaty signed, which showed a significant resolution of the two countries and their ruling parties and strengthened the foundation for common development of their border areas, Wang said.

Upholding neighborliness and friendliness serves as a political guarantee for addressing properly sensitive issues between the two countries, while sticking to talks is the right path for solving their differences, Wang said.

The two countries should work on maintaining the order of the border areas, improve the business climate there and promote personnel exchanges, he said.

They should also enhance cooperation in the management of border affairs, the security, operation of ports and disease prevention, and they should further promote the opening-up of the border areas, he added.

When addressing their maritime issues, China and Vietman should draw on the experience of their demarcation of land borders and in the Beibu Gulf, Wang said, adding that they are fully capable of further addressing maritime issues through talks.

Wang called for the two countries to actively engage in talks for a basic and long-term solution to the issues that both sides find acceptable.