Hanoi (VNA)𒅌 – Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to China from January 12-15 has been successful and achieved important results, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan said in an interview to the press at the end of the trip.

Quan said the top leaders of the two Parties and countries reached common important perceptions of relations between Vietnam and China as well as major orientations to strengthen political trust, friendship and cooperation, maintain a peaceful and friendly environment and the trend of healthy and stable development in the bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to release a 10-point Joint Communiqué which highlights the need to increase high-level meetings, cooperation and exchanges between the two Parties, promote strategic connectivity, foster trade-investment ties, expand national defence-security cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen social foundations. Chinese President Xi Jinping accepted the Vietnamese leader’s invitation to visit Vietnam and attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit slated for late 2017. During the visit, 15 important documents were signed between agencies of the two Parties and nations in order to intensify cooperation in different areas, besides other economic deals inked between businesses. The leaders also straightforwardly, sincerely, openly discussed existing matters in bilateral ties, especially the East Sea issue, and emphasised the necessity to abide by the Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Settlement of Issues at Sea, fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and promptly formulate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), well control disputes at sea, and refrain from actions that further complicate and extend disputes for peace and stability in the East Sea. They also agreed to expand and promote people-to-people exchanges, especially among young generations, localities and the media to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, thus laying a social foundation for bilateral relations. During the trip, Quan noted, the Vietnamese Party chief held talks and meetings with five out of seven permanent members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China. General Secretary Trong also attended a get-together celebrating the 67th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties, met Chinese patriotic personalities, intellectuals, officials and relatives of Chinese families who contributed to Vietnam’s revolutionary cause and Vietnam-China friendship; visited Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province; and talked with Chinese leading businesses operating in Vietnam. In conclusion, Quan expressed his belief that the visit would mark a significant milestone to further develop the relationship between the two Parties and nations in a healthy, positive and steady way in the future.-VNA