China to gift Vietnam 3 million more Covid vaccines

This will take the total number China has provided to 5.7 million.

Speaking at a meeting in Hanoi Friday with Pham Binh Minh, his Vietnamese counterpart and also deputy prime minister, Wang said several localities in China also want to gift vaccines and medical equipment to Vietnam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The Meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation was chaired by the two leaders.

The two sides also compared notes on their experiences in fighting and preventing Covid-19, including vaccine cooperation.

They also discussed cooperation in the fields of defense, security and law enforcement, the lopsided bilateral trade.

China is Vietnam's largest trading partner, and Vietnam is its giant neighbor’s fourth largest partner.

The two sides expected to resume commercial flights as soon as possible.

They also agreed to speed up negotiations for delimiting the waters outside the Gulf of Tonkin and other less sensitive areas, and sign a new agreement on fisheries cooperation in the gulf.

They agreed to control maritime disagreements and desist from taking any actions that complicate the situation or enlarge disputes and join hands to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea.

Deputy spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry, Doan Khac Viet, told the media Thursday that during Wang’s visit beginning the next day the two countries would discuss cooperation and regional and global issues.

The aim of the visit is to bolster the cooperative relationship and the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Viet said.

Cooperation to fight Covid-19 is an issue of mutual concern for both countries, including vaccine and medical equipment support, he said.