China and Vietnam are working to better handle their differences, particularly in dealing with maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
In a meeting with visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang confirmed the pledge between the nations through peaceful negotiations and strengthened political trust.
According to China Daily, Phuc is staying in Beijing for six days with "an unprecedentedly large delegation" to China which is composed of a total of 132 people.
"China is willing to strengthen strategic communications and high-level exchanges as well as expand people-to-people exchanges with Vietnam," Li stated.
He also expressed China's hopes to collaborate with Vietnam in terms of advance cooperation at sea, development strategies, on land and in finance as well as improving practical cooperation in other fields.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's Prime Minister is hoping to develop diplomatic ties with the Middle Kingdom "under the spirit of equality and respect," per CCTV News.
"This visit is significant to bilateral ties. The two leaders agreed to move their comprehensive strategic partnership into a new phase, and hold high-level exchanges between leaders more frequently," added Chinese vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin.
Prior to meeting with Li, Phuc had also convened with Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang in the hopes of improving ties between Beijing and Hanoi.
Zhang, who serves as Chairman for the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) explained that the Vietnamese's visit was the fruit of a fresh start initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.
As a sign of this, the leaders of the two countries signed nine agreements since Monday which involved enhanced cooperation in the fields of education, infrastructure, cross-border trade, production capacity, and climate change.
Previously, the two nations also joined the 19th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) China Leaders' Meeting held in Vientiane, Laos.