Jiang on development of Sino-Vietnamese relations in new century BEIJING - Chinese President Jiang Zemin, in a meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong Monday, stressed four points for the development of the Sino-Vietnamese relations in the new century. First, China will continue to develop state-to-state relationship with Vietnam on the basis of the five principles of peaceful co-existence, Jiang said. The two parties' friendly relations of cooperation should continue to be developed in accordance with the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non- interference in each other's internal affairs, he said. Secondly, Jiang said, the two countries should maintain high-level contact as well as contact at other levels and strengthen cooperation in regional and multi-lateral international affairs. Thirdly, he said, greater prominence should be given to the two countries' cooperation in the economic and trade and other fields. Fourthly, Jiang said, China and Vietnam have successfully resolved problems related to land boundary, demarcation in the Beibu Bay and its related fishing issue, laying the foundation that will enable the two countries to share a border of peace, friendship and long-term stability in the new century. However, Jiang said, in order to maintain true stability in the border areas, both sides should honor their political commitments and earnestly carry out agreements that have been reached and appropriately solve potential problems of various kinds in order to safeguard the two countries' relations. Xinshua News Agency - December 26, 2000.

Vietnamese president Tran Duc Luong arrives in China for official visit BEIJING - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong arrived in Beijing Monday for a five-day official visit in which China and Vietnam are expected to sign an agreement to end a long-standing territorial dispute. Luong is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin later Monday, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Assistant foreign ministers from both countries have drawn up an agreement on the demarcation of the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, which connects southern China and northern Vietnam, as well as an agreement on fishery cooperation in the gulf, which China calls Beibu Gulf, Xinhua said. The agreements are expected to be signed by both countries during Luong's visit. Negotiations between the two nations on the demarcation of territorial waters in the gulf have been going on for years. The two communist nations have held discussions about delineation since the visit of former Chinese premier Li Peng to Vietnam in December 1992. The signing of the agreement follows 18 sets of bilateral talks carried out subsequently by Chinese and Vietnamese officials. Leaders in Hanoi and Beijing had committed themselves to resolving the problem before the end of the year. However, the countries still bitterly dispute sovereignty over the Paracels and Spratlys island chains to the far south of China. Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines also lay claim to the Spratlys. Vietnam and China had already signed a major bilateral accord a year ago connected to their common land borders, two decades after a short but bloody conflict between the two neighbors following Vietnamese intervention in Cambodia, then allied to Beijing. Luong's visit is his first to China as head of state and the second visit by a Vietnamese president since the two nations normalized relations in 1991, Xinhua said. Before departing Vietnam, Luong expressed confidence the two countries would enjoy better relations in the new century, according to Xinhua. During Luong's visit, which lasts until December 29, the two sides will also issue a joint declaration on bilateral cooperation during the 21st century and an agreement on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Also to be signed is an agreement over cooperation between the Vietnamese Information Agency and Xinhua. Besides Beijing, Luong will also tour Shanghai and Xiamen, Xinhua said. Agence France Presse - December 25, 2000.