Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh here on Friday, with both sides pledging efforts to enhance the bilateral relations.

As friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, China and Vietnam share extensive common interests, with broad prospects for the development of bilateral relations, Li said.

Not long ago, at the invitation of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong visited China and the two leaders reached important consensus, Li noted.

China attaches great importance to developing its relations with Vietnam and stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Vietnam, consolidate political mutual trust, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, implement the consensus between the two sides and push for steady and sound development of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Li said.

China and Vietnam enjoy a solid foundation of cooperation, economic complementarities and a high level of industrial integration, Li said, adding that the two sides should seize the opportunity of common development, deepen cooperation in infrastructure construction and other areas, and continue to promote bilateral trade for win-win results.

Noting that China has been improving its COVID-19 prevention and control as the situation evolves, Li said China is willing to improve customs clearance and gradually increase direct flights between China and Vietnam to facilitate people-to-people exchanges and make it easier for Vietnamese students to travel to China and resume studies.

China is ready to work with Vietnam and other ASEAN countries to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, help boost economic and social development of regional countries and improve the well-being of the people in the countries, actively advance maritime cooperation, complete the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date, jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, and send a signal of stability and development in the region to the world, Li said.

For his part, the Vietnamese prime minister thanked the Chinese side for its friendly reception for Nguyen Phu Trong's visit. He said that developing relations with China is always the top priority in the country's foreign policy and Vietnam supports China in playing a bigger role on the international stage.

Vietnam is ready to maintain high-level exchanges and exchanges at various levels with China, and strengthen cooperation in such fields including economy and trade, investment, logistics, digital economy, green economy and marine economy, he said.

The country is willing to deepen communication and coordination on international and regional affairs with China, properly manage differences, and promote the development of relations between the two parties and two countries, he added.