TWO-WAY NEGOTIATION ON SEA DISPUTES
On Thursday, Li also met with leaders of Vietnam, Latvia and Laos, all of whom will attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit to be held in Ulan Bator from July 15 to 16.
Li told his Vietnamese counterpart that the South China Sea issue should be solved through bilateral negotiations by relevant parties on the basis of historical facts and in accordance with international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
The DOC, signed in 2002 by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, including the Philippines, stipulates that the parties concerned undertake to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned.
On the award issued Tuesday by an arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Li said China has been very clear on its stance of not recognizing or accepting the award. The DOC has helped maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea over the past years, he said.
The Chinese premier called on Vietnam to value the hard-won momentum in the development of bilateral relations and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea with China.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc, for his part, said Vietnam respects China's stance on the arbitration, which was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, and Vietnam maintains that the disputes should be solved peacefully through negotiations.
On bilateral ties, Li said China-Vietnam relations have shown a positive momentum since last year, with early results yielding in maritime, land and financial cooperation.
Phuc said Vietnam and China enjoy a "comradely and brotherly" relationship with common interests significantly overriding differences.
Vietnam stands ready to push forward the mechanism of bilateral maritime negotiations and properly manage differences with China, so as to contribute to regional peace and stability, Phuc said.
In a meeting with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, Li said China is ready to join hands with Latvia to synergize their development strategies, promote cooperation in such areas as transportation, infrastructure construction and trade, achieve dynamic equilibrium of bilateral trade, and boost people-to-people exchanges in youth, media, tourism and other areas at different levels.
China supports Latvia in hosting the fifth leaders' meeting between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. China is willing to work with Latvia to promote cooperation within the China-CEE framework -- known as 16+1 -- so as to benefit both sides, Li added.
