China and Vietnam agreed Tuesday to deepen bilateral ties through the issuance of a joint statement on building a "community with a shared future" and avoid confrontation over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a two-day state visit to the Southeast Asian country, and Vietnam's Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong shared the view that the neighbors should "carry forward the traditional friendship forged by older-generation leaders" and achieve "win-win outcomes and common success."
Referring to bilateral territorial rows in the South China Sea, Xi said it is important for the two sides to "manage differences" and advance joint maritime development.
The Vietnamese leader noted maritime differences are "only part of the overall relationship" and said Beijing and Hanoi should "properly handle them in the spirit of mutual trust and mutual respect," according to the Chinese ministry.
Following their talks, the two leaders jointly witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral cooperation in more than 30 areas, including collaboration over China's signature Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative, digital economy, green development and transport.
In an apparent reference to efforts by the United States and its allies to rein China in, Xi said that his nation "does not form exclusive small circles" and stoke "camp-based confrontation."
Beijing would like to step up multilateral cooperation involving Vietnam and "increase the voice and influence of developing countries in international affairs, the president added.
The Vietnamese leader said Hanoi will actively take part in the Belt and Road project and is firmly committed to the one-China principle which opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" separatist activity, the ministry said.
During his trip through Wednesday, the first to the country since 2017, Xi is also scheduled to meet Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Xi's visit came after the United States and Vietnam announced during a visit by President Joe Biden to Hanoi in September an upgrade of their relations to the Southeast Asian country's highest diplomatic ranking, on par with its ties with China and Russia.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed with Thuong in November in Tokyo to deepen bilateral maritime security cooperation.
