The meeting took place in the context of the fourth Mekong Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Luang Prabang, in northern Laos.
The Vietnamese official asked the Chinese foreign minister to continue applying measures to further improve Vietnam's trade deficit and take steps towards encouraging the consumption of Vietnamese staples by Chinese customers. Deputy Prime Minister Minh said he highly values the initial progress made in recent negotiations on the code of conduct on the East Sea between ASEAN and China. The two sides, he noted, should continue implementing the common directions of the two Parties and States, embracing peaceful measures on the basis of respect for the 1982 UN convention on the laws of the sea. On his part, the Chinese official affirmed that China is ready to join in strengthening strategic exchanges, consolidating political trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, rationally settling differences, and accelerating healthy and stable bilateral relations. On the Mekong Lancang cooperation, the two sides agreed to continue pushing cooperation for the mutual, inclusive and fair benefit of all participating countries.
