Beijing (VNA) – Vietnameseofficials underlined the importance of border and territorial issues torelations between Vietnam and China at the two countries’ governmental-levelnegotiation on border and territory in Beijing, China, on December 12-13.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by DeputyForeign Minister Le Hoai Trung, head of the National Boundary Commission, whilethe Chinese side was headed by Trung’s counterpart Liu Zhenmin.

The proper settlement of border and territorialissues will be an important foundation for enhancing the countries’ relations,Trung said, reiterating Vietnam’s consistent policy on border and territorial matters,including sea-related issues.

He also voiced concerns about recent complex developments inthe East Sea.

At the meeting, participants reviewed thecooperation in resolving border and territorial issues since the last plenarynegotiation in 2013.

In terms of land border, Vietnam and China haveattained many positive outcomes, they said, noting that the mechanisms forborder management cooperation such as the land border joint committee, borderrepresentatives and the committee on border gate management cooperation have provedeffective. The countries have also made joint efforts to fight cross-bordercrimes.

Those outcomes have greatly helped with bordermanagement and protection, creating favourable conditions for socio-economicdevelopment in border areas, the officials said.

The two sides agreed to enhance social securityand order management in border areas while effectively executing thecooperation agreement on protecting and tapping tourism resources of BanGioc/Detian Waterfall, and the agreement on the travel of ships at the freenavigation area at the mouth of the Bac Luan/Beilun River.

They will also push ahead with the opening andupgrading of border gates along with measures to facilitate customs clearanceto provide optimal conditions for developing border areas.

With regard to sea-related issues, both sidesaffirmed to seriously implement the important common perceptions shared betweenthe two countries’ Party and State leaders and the Vietnam-China agreement onbasic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues. They pledged tosatisfactorily resolve sea-related problems, refrain from complicating thesituation, control disagreements well, promote appropriate cooperation, andtogether maintain peace and stability at sea.

The Vietnamese and Chinese officials said theircountries have implemented on schedule a cooperation project on researching themarine and island environment in the Tonkin Gulf, and another on researchingand comparing Holocene-epoch sediments in the Red River andthe Yangtze River basins.

They concurred in expediting talks towards the signingof cooperation agreements on releasing breeding aquatic animals in the TonkinGulf and on other spheres.

The two sides also agreed to firmly promote thedemarcation negotiation process and cooperation for mutual development betweenworking groups on sea-related issues. Towards this goal, Vietnam and China willbring into full play the governmental-level negotiation mechanism throughannual meetings, increasing meetings between heads of the two negotiationdelegations, and optimising the negotiation mechanisms between working groupson sea-related issues.

The countries will also continue tocomprehensively and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct ofParties in the East Sea (DOC), and work with relevant parties on the basis ofconsultation and consensus to soon build a Code of Conduct in the waters (COC),the officials added.

On December 13, the Vietnamese delegation wasreceived by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.-VNA