China, Vietnam stress friendship

Minh said the two countries have achieved progress in various fields of cooperation.

The two neighbors also vowed to boost military, law enforcement and security cooperation.

Pan Jin'e, a senior expert on Vietnamese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Hanoi has projected a reasonable vision in its approach to ties with China, and there has been progress made on the sea, including joint development.

Strengthened economic cooperation is supported by Vietnamese in the border areas, Pan said.

"From a general view, Beijing and Hanoi are on the same page when it comes to peacefully resolving the South China Sea issue, and based on such a shared view, they could discuss their differing views in detail," Pan added.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of United States studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said Vietnam knows clearly that sabotaging its ties with China "would deal a heavy blow to its own economy".