Xi to Vietnam PM: Talks solve issues

President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam to properly manage the South China Sea issue via bilateral negotiations and to promote maritime cooperation to turn challenges into opportunities.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday.

Vietnam contests China's sovereignty over some islands in the South China Sea, and this is regarded as an obstacle to their relations, even though Vietnam has replaced Malaysia as China's largest trading partner of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.