Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said in Hanol on Saturday that the newly-established steering committee on cooperation will further promote the long-term good- neighborly relations between China and Vietnam.

"The development of Sino-Vietnamese ties have progressed in recent years with exchanges and cooperation being expanded and deepened in an all-round and comprehensive way," Tang told the first meeting of the China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation.

China is willing to make joint efforts with the Vietnamese side to implement the consensus reached between leaders of the Communist Party of China and the Vietnamese Communist Party as well as leaders of the two countries, he added.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who co-chaired the meeting with Tang, said his country hopes to boost the Vietnam-China friendly cooperation through the creation of the joint committee.

The committee, which is designed to coordinate China-Vietnam cooperation in various fields and address major issues in their cooperation, will meet once a year in the two countries alternatively.

At the meeting, the two side also discussed the preparations of the upcoming visit to Vietnam by Chinese President Hu Jintao and believed his visit will surely have far-reaching impact on the relations between the two parties and two countries.

Hu, who is scheduled to pay a state visit to Vietnam on Nov. 15- 17, will also attend an informal meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders to be held in Hanoi on Nov. 18-19.

Source: Xinhua