Border issue won't affect trade, friendship

Chinese and Vietnamese enterprises signed a series of agreements with a contract value of more than $1 billion on Friday.

The agreements, ratified during Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet's official four-day visit to China, range from port development, telecommunications to the electricity industry.

China has been Vietnam's largest trade partner for three consecutive years, and the bilateral trade is expected to reach $15 billion by 2010.

Vietnam is willing to serve as a "bridgehead" linking China and ASEAN members while developing traditional friendship and cooperative relations with China, Triet said in an interview with Chinese media on Friday.

"As close neighbors, Vietnam will become a bridge linking China and ASEAN members," Triet said.

"This is conducive to the peace and stability in the region and also helps Greater Mekong River sub-region cooperation."

Vietnam and China have agreed on a planned project of "two corridors and one economic belt" along their estimated 1,300-kilometer border.

The corridors link Kunming in Southwest China's Yunnan Province and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with Hai Phong in Vietnam. The Beibu Gulf economic belt covers China's Guangxi and part of Vietnam.

To step up construction of the project, Vietnam has developed its infrastructure, such as transport facilities to connect with China's highways, to help facilitate the flow of population and goods, Triet said.

Vietnam hopes to gain support from China in infrastructural construction by providing preferential loans, he added.

On the disputed border issue between China and Vietnam, Triet said leaders of the two countries hope the issue can be resolved through active consultations.

Source: China Daily