Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich hosted a reception on February 19 for Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi, who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

At the reception (Photo: Qdnd.vn)

Minister Lich emphasised that the visit demonstrates the friendly neighbourliness, fraternal bond as well as the special relations between the Parties, States, and armed forces of the two countries.

He took the occasion to thank the National Immigration Administration of China for donating medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention to Vietnam’s Border Guard.

For his part, Zhao congratulated Vietnam on its successful organisation of the 13th National Party Congress, and affirmed that the visit contributes to strengthening the traditional friendship between the two Parties and States in general and cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in particular.

On this basis, the two sides should continue to further deepen the traditional friendship between the armed forces and people of the two countries in a more practical and effective manner, he said.

At the reception, the two officers highlighted recent practical cooperation between the two ministries, especially in the context of the complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Border forces and border management forces of the two countries have coordinated closely in deploying teams and posts to contain the spread of the virus in border areas and to minimise cross-border illegal travel, they said.

They also proposed solutions to promote and improve the efficiency of cooperation between the Vietnamese Border Guard and the National Immigration Administration of China in the time to come.

The two sides pledged to continue strictly implementing legal documents on border and bilateral agreements signed between the two countries, focusing on adopting synchronous measures and closely cooperating on exit and entry management and control amid the pandemic.

They will also work closely in the fight against crime, especially cross-border crime, terrorism, high-tech crime, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking, towards maintaining security and order in border areas.

Within the framework of the meeting, the two ministers signed a cooperation agreement between the two ministries on establishing a three-level law enforcement coordination mechanism in border control at border gates and in land border management.