Li: China willing to enhance Vietnam ties

China highly values developing its relations with Vietnam and is willing to push for steady and sound development of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with the Vietnamese side, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday.

Li, who is in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh to attend a series of meetings on East Asian cooperation, made the remark when meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

China stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Vietnam, consolidate political mutual trust, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, implement the consensus between the two sides, he said.

The premier called on the two countries to seize the opportunity of common development, deepen cooperation in infrastructure construction and other areas, and continue to promote bilateral trade for win-win results.

Since China is optimizing its COVID-19 prevention and control as the situation evolves, Li said China is willing to improve customs clearance and gradually increase direct flights between China and Vietnam to facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

China will also make it easier for Vietnamese students to travel to China and resume studies, he said.

Li also expressed China's readiness to work with Vietnam and other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to complete the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date and send a signal of regional stability and development to the world.

The Vietnamese prime minister said it is always the top priority of the country's foreign policy to develop relations with China and Vietnam supports China in playing a bigger role on the international stage.

Vietnam is ready to maintain high-level exchanges and exchanges at various levels with China, and strengthen cooperation in such fields as trade and economy, investment, logistics and marine economy, he said.