On May 26, 2009, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh met in Hanoi with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the 9th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Manh said since the establishment of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership last year, both sides have maintained frequent high-level visits, achieved gratifying results in economic and trade cooperation and made smooth progress in exchanging experience on governing the party and country and in resolving border and territorial issues. Bilateral cooperation is expanding in all areas. Manh spoke highly of China's positive measures and its achievements in dealing with the international financial crisis and its important contributions to helping the regional and international community to tackle the crisis and overcome the difficulties. Manh said Vietnam attaches importance to the traditional friendship with China and is willing to implement the 16-word principle of long-term stability, orientation towards the future, good-neighborly friendship and all-round cooperation and the spirit of remaining good neighbors, friends, comrades and partners, in a bid to push the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for greater development in the new era. Vietnam will continue to support China's peaceful reunification cause in a firm manner, said Manh.

For his part, Yang said the China-Vietnam relations are in a new stage of all-round development. The two countries are friendly neighbors, as well as important cooperative partners. To further consolidate and strengthen China-Vietnam friendship is conducive to promoting the strength of socialism and conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries as well as the common aspiration of both peoples. It is of greater realistic importance to strengthen the unity and cooperation of the two countries amid the complex and volatile global situation and the deepening financial crisis. China has always attached great importance to the development of China-Vietnam relations and viewed the ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, said Yang. He said China is willing to constantly enrich the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership of the two countries and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples.

On May 25, Yang Jiechi also met with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. The two sides agreed to implement the guiding principle of developing bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership set forth by the leaders of both sides, maintain high-level contacts and consolidate the political foundation of bilateral ties. The two sides agreed to make full preparation for the China-Vietnam Friendship Year next year to cement the social basis of bilateral ties. They also agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in all fields and maintain the stable development of trade and investment between the two countries to jointly cope with the global financial crisis. The two sides pledged to work together to ensure the success of the follow-up work of land border demarcation and the erection of boundary markers, maintain the stability of the situation in the sea and strengthen coordination and cooperation in the international arena like the United Nations and the ASEM to safeguard common interest.