China pledges stronger ties with Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday pledged closer ties with Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos as he met separately with leaders of the three countries in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Wang Yi held talks with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Myanmar's Vice President U Henry Van Thio and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith at the sidelines of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation.

China, Vietnam to dovetail development strategies

According to Wang, trade between China and Vietnam topped 100 billion US dollars last year, and personnel exchanges were valued at more than 10 million dollars.

"All these not only reflect the sound momentum of the current relations between the two countries, but also demonstrate the broad prospect of the future of their bilateral relations," he said.

China stands ready to work with Vietnam to maintain close high-level contacts, strengthen the synergy of their development strategies, advance pragmatic cooperation in various fields, cautiously handle maritime issues, explore ways of joint development so as to create favorable conditions for the all-round cooperation between the two countries, Wang said.

Vietnam attaches great importance to developing the traditional friendship between the two sides and is willing to earnestly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two nations, promote exchanges on governance experiences, better dovetail China's Belt and Road Initiative with Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, and push forward trade and subnational cooperation between the two countries, the Vietnamese president added.

On Saturday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also met Wang. They expressed willingness to strengthen the strategic alignment of their respective development plans.

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 1, 2018. /MOFA Photo

Wang said the two sides should put more efforts on strengthening and developing the strategic alignment and properly handle problems emerging from the cooperation process so as to push China-Vietnam relations to new heights.

For his part, Nguyen said Vietnam supports China's Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to actively promote the alignment of Vietnam's "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" with China's Belt and Road Initiative, and propel bilateral cooperation in fields such as trade and commerce, and land infrastructure.

The two sides also exchanged views on maritime issues, agreeing that they should jointly safeguard maritime peace and stability, and create a friendly environment for all-round cooperation.

China, Myanmar to promote 'paukphaw' friendship

In his meeting with Myanmar's Vice President U Henry Van Thio, the Chinese state councilor said the two nations have enjoyed traditional "paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship and their leaders have maintained close contacts.

China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, further boost mutually beneficial cooperation and push forward the construction of major projects within the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative, including the China-Myanmar economic corridor, Wang said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Myanmar's Vice President U Henry Van Thio in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 31, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

China strongly supports Myanmar's efforts in maintaining stability, revitalizing the economy and improving the livelihood of the people, and will continue to provide Myanmar with assistance to the best of its abilities, Wang said.

China also hopes that Myanmar will properly handle the issues in its northern region and maintain peace and stability in the border areas between the two countries, Wang added.

For his part, Vice President U Henry Van Thio said Myanmar is willing to inherit and develop the "paukphaw" friendship and friendly cooperation between the two countries, and continue to take an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The vice president also expressed gratitude for China's support for the peace and national reconciliation process in Myanmar, while pledging continued efforts and cooperation with China to maintain peace in border areas between the two countries.

The vice president briefed Wang on the latest development in the Rakhine state issue. Wang said China has always held the view that the issue should only be addressed through friendly consultations between Myanmar and Bangladesh, and the international community should play a constructive role in promoting the resolution of the issue.

China, Laos to focus on Lancang-Mekong cooperation

Wang said the Chinese and Lao leaders have reached an important consensus on jointly building a community of shared future with strategic significance, charting the course for the future development of China-Laos relations.

He called for good planning in carrying out high-level exchanges and comprehensively advancing practical cooperation between the two countries.

He said the China-Laos railway is a flagship project of the bilateral cooperation and also a concrete outcome of the dovetailing of the development strategies between China and its neighboring countries under the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 31, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

Wang hopes that the two countries strengthen planning and coordination on the project and ensure its smooth progress.

He said China stands ready to work with the Laos for greater achievements of the LMC, which they co-chair.

The Laos, an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will continue to play a positive role in the development of the China-ASEAN relations, the foreign minister said.

Thongloun, for his part, said the Laos and China have witnessed important progress in their pragmatic cooperation since last year.

The project of the China-Laos railway, in particular, has been progressing smoothly and the Lao people have been enjoying substantial benefits from the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Laos is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges with China and continue to further cooperation in regional connectivity, he said.

Thongloun said his country is willing to cooperate with China closely to push for more fruits from the LMC as well as sound and steady development of ASEAN-China relations.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency