On June 13, 2003, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Duy Nien held talks.

During the talks, Li said that Vietnam has occupied an important position in the foreign policy of China, especially its policy toward neighboring countries. He said that the new leadership of China has as always attached importance to the China-Vietnam relationship. He added that China is willing to work with Vietnam to earnestly implement the principle of "long-term stability, future orientation, good neighborliness and multi-faceted cooperation" between the two countries, so as to bring their good-neighborly ties to a new height.

Nien highly appreciated the smooth development of the Vietnam-China relationship. He stressed that the above-said principle is a guideline for the development of the Sino-Vietnamese relations. The Vietnam-China friendship will not only serve the interests of the two peoples but also benefit the peace of Asia and the world at large.

As for the economic and trade relationship between the two countries, the two ministers agreed to vigorously explore potentialities to fulfill the target of bringing the two-way trade volume to 5 billion US dollars by 2005. Li said that China has been pursuing a good-neighborly policy of achieving common prosperity with its neighboring countries, and that it has attached importance to enhancing its economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam. He affirmed that China will encourage major Chinese enterprises to bid contracts, make investment and conduct resource tapping cooperation in Vietnam.

Nien praised the achievements that China has scored in the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), saying that China has made great efforts not only to control SARS but also ensure a rapid growth of its economy in the face of SARS, and the Vietnamese government and people felt glad to see it. Li thanked Vietnam for its precious support extended to China's SARS campaign.

Referring to the upcoming regional forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a series of other meetings, to be held in the next few days, Li said that positive developments have emerged as the main trend in the Asian region. The Asian countries have taken economic development as their top priority, and it is their common aspiration to create and maintain a harmonious environment for cooperation among them. He added that the Chinese side will stick to its principle of remaining good terms and good partner with neighbors, to promote exchanges and cooperation with the neighboring countries.

The two sides also exchanged opinions on the exchanges and cooperation between the foreign ministries of both countries.