Hanoi (VNA) – Minister ofForeign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received the visiting Secretary of the CommunistParty of China Committee of China’s Yunnan province, Wang Ning, in Hanoi onMarch 28.

Both host and guest highly valued theprogress in the Vietnam - China comprehensive strategic cooperativepartnership, especially in politics, economy, trade, and investment, saying theofficial visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of VietnamNguyen Phu Trong in October 2022 was an important milestone opening up a new developmentperiod for relations between the two Parties and the two countries.

Stressing the role oflocality-to-locality exchanges, they expressed their delight at the encouragingresults of substantive cooperation between Vietnamese sectors and localitiesand Yunnan province.

Minister Son affirmed that the Party,State, and people of Vietnam always attach importance to the friendlyneighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China and view this as theleading priority of Vietnam’s foreign policy.

He appreciated contributions by theParty organisation, administration, and people of Yunnan to the two countries’friendship, including the upgrade of the President Ho Chi Minh relic site inKunming city and the donation of a large amount of medicalsupplies to Vietnam to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Giving some suggestions for enhancingcooperation between Vietnam and Yunnan, he recommended increasing mutual visitsat all levels, bringing into play existing cooperation mechanisms and programmes,and expanding friendship exchanges between organisations of the two sides’border residents.

Son asked Yunnan to boost importing agricultural and aquatic products of Vietnam's strength, coordinate to maintain smoothcustoms clearance at border gates, step up road and rail transport connectivityin border areas, and resume the direct air route for passenger and cargotransport between the two sides early.

The official also called on bothsides to maintain close coordination in the management and sustainable use of watersources of border rivers and streams, properly implement the three legaldocuments on land border between Vietnam and China and related agreements, sooncomplete procedures for upgrading and opening some border gate pairs and bordercrossings, work together more closely to manage and guarantee order andsecurity in border areas, create favourable conditions for friendship exchangesand movements of border residents, and join hands to build a land border ofpeace, stability, cooperation, and development.

For his part, Secretary Wang saidYunnan attaches special importance to the friendship and mutually beneficialcooperation with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities.

The province wishes to join Vietnam in properly implementing the common perceptions reached between leaders of the twoParties and the two countries and continuing to develop bilateral relations ina substantive manner, he noted.

Agreeing with his host’s cooperationsuggestions, he emphasied the readiness to maintain exchanges and contact withVietnamese localities, especially those sharing the border with Yunnan, andcapitalise on the two sides’ potential, strengths, and complementarities,thereby contributing to the Vietnam - China comprehensive strategic cooperativepartnership./.