Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said Vietnam will keep doing its utmost to help develop the ASEAN - China relations on par with their comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Government leader made the remark at the ASEAN - China special summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of bilateral dialogue relations which was held virtually on November 22.

He affirmed that the comprehensive strategic partnership that ASEAN and China established recently is a demonstration of their cooperation achievements over the last 30 years, on the basis of political trust, friendly and comprehensive cooperation, and mutual respect and understanding.

He held that ASEAN and China should continue enhancing strategic trust, promoting comprehensive cooperation, and multiplying achievements towards higher goals and greater benefits for bilateral relations.

Voicing his support for the cooperation directions identified by ASEAN and Chinese leaders, PM Chinh underlined the core factors of cooperation, which are jointly maintaining peace, stability, and cooperation for development in an environment still full of uncertainties; upholding attainments and further strengthening ties to effectively cope with emerging global challenges, thus contributing to the comprehensive, inclusive, prosperous, safe, and sustainable development of each party.

He stressed that to ensure peace, security, and stability in the region, especially in the East Sea, it is necessary for countries to boost dialogue, consolidate trust, comply with international law, act responsibly, together exert more efforts to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), keep stepping up the building of an efficient and effective code of conduct (COC) that is in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He also expressed his hope that ASEAN and China will soon restore and foster economic, trade, and investment links.

The Vietnamese PM suggested China create more favourable conditions for export items from ASEAN; ensure trade balance; increase connectivity by investing in high technology, innovation, infrastructure development, digital transformation, green growth, sustainable development, climate change prevention; and resume people-to-people exchange soon.

Basing on the friendly neighbourliness and traditional cooperation with China, Vietnam will keep doing its utmost to help develop the ASEAN - China relations on a par with their comprehensive strategic partnership, and significantly contribute to regional and global peace, security, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development, thereby bringing about practical benefits to each country, ensuring prosperity and happiness for all people, and leaving no one behind, the PM added.

At the summit, ASEAN leaders highly valued the first-ever participation in an ASEAN - China summit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of the country Xi Jinping, which showed the top Chinese leader’s attention to ASEAN and the enhancement of bilateral ties.

Applauding the major achievements since 1991, the two sides described the ASEAN - China relations as mutually beneficial, dynamic, and substantive, and that the establishment of the ASEAN - China comprehensive strategic partnership illustrates the important outcomes in their all-round cooperation over the last 30 years.

The Chinese leader affirmed that his country consistently views ASEAN as a focus of its neighbourhood foreign policy and supports the bloc’s centrality and growing stature in the region and the world.

Discussing the regional and international situation, participants agreed to jointly build the East Sea into a sea of peace, security, stability, and cooperation. They emphasised the importance of building trust, respecting international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, and resolving disputes by peaceful means.

They pledged to fully and effectively implement the DOC and promote the building of an effective and substantive COC that is in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the end of the event, ASEAN and China leaders adopted a joint statement of the summit./.