Chinese, Vietnamese presidents hold talks on ties

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks Thursday with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, who is on a state visit to China and will attend the upcoming Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Xi recalled his meeting with Quang last November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima. Peru, in which they reached important consensus on deepening bilateral all-round strategic cooperation.

Xi invited Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, to visit China in January this year. Xi and Trong had in-depth exchanges on major issues of common concern, and clarified the direction of future China-Vietnam ties.

Xi said both sides should work closely to implement consensus reached by state leaders, cement cooperation in various areas, and boost their all-round strategic partnership to a new level.

Quang congratulated China's development achievements in recent years.

This is Quang's first visit to China since he took office in April 2016.

Altogether 29 heads of state and government leaders will attend the upcoming forum, scheduled for May 14 to 15 in Beijing. It marks the highest-profile international meeting on the Belt and Road Initiative since it was proposed by China in 2013.