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Published on 13 Oct 2024 • 2 minutes of reading
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BANGKOK (AP) – China agreed Sunday to help Vietnam build a cross-border railway and take steps to boost agricultural imports from its small neighbor, Vietnam’s official media said.
Premier Li Qiang, on an official visit to Vietnam, pledged that China will open markets for high-quality Vietnamese fruits, seafood and other products, state media reports said.
China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and the second largest export market after the US Trade between the two countries will reach $172 billion in 2023. Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, signaled the importance of the relationship when he made China his first foreign visit country after considering him post last year.
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Li arrived in Vietnam from neighboring Laos, where he rejected calls at a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders to respect international law in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Li that both sides should respect each other’s legal rights and interests, resolve disputes through peaceful means and properly address issues related to fishermen and their boats, state media reports said.
Vietnam condemned China two weeks ago for what it described as an attack by Chinese law enforcement personnel that injured several Vietnamese fishermen near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
The islands have been under de facto Chinese control since 1974, when Beijing seized them from Vietnam in a brief but violent naval conflict.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Laos last week that the US is concerned about China’s “increasingly dangerous and unlawful” activities in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely.
In the talks on Sunday, Chinh and Li agreed to deepen exchange and cooperation in diplomacy, national defense and public security, state media reports said.
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He also witnessed the exchange of 10 cooperation agreements, including the establishment of a working group to develop a cross-border economic cooperation zone and the implementation of QR-code, a cross-border payment service.
The railway agreement includes technical plans and feasibility studies to improve railway connectivity between Vietnam and China.
In trade, Chinh called for more access to a variety of products including tropical fruits, meat products, farm-raised spiny lobsters and traditional plant-based medicines.
Li said China is ready to resolve trade issues and cooperate with Vietnam on quarantine and customs procedures, according to a Vietnamese report.
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