Guangxi (VNA) – VietnameseDefence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe heldtalks in China’s Guangxi province on November 19, during which they reviewed thefive years of border defence friendship exchange between the two countries.

Minister Wei said that the exchange is partof activities inheriting the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam, whilehelping promote border cooperation between the two sides.

He noted that over the last five years,collaboration between the two countries and militaries has helped expandbilateral partnership. The border defence friendship exchanges have becomeincreasingly better organised throughout years, with a diverse range ofactivities, he said.

He expressed his belief that the currentexchange, the fifth of its kind, will contribute to creating new motivations indeveloping the affiliation between the two militaries as well as the twocountries.

For his part, Minister Lich said that onNovember 19, the first day of the exchange, participants joined variousmeaningful activities, including a border marker saluting ceremony, a jointriver patrol, and visits to Shui Kou town’s Border Guard Company and a memorialhouse dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh.

He said that this year’s exchange programmeis taking place in two locations which mark the beginning of Vietnam’srevolution and important events for the friendship and coordination between therevolutions of Vietnam and China.

By visiting the memorial house,participants gained a better understanding of the comradeship and fraternity ofVietnamese and Chinese revolutionaries, he added.

Thanks to activities in the morning ofNovember 19, the Vietnamese delegates gained a deeper insight into the warmsentiments and close friendships that were nurtured and developed by bothVietnam and China over the years, said the minister.

He agreed with Wei’s opinion that theongoing programme has renewed motivation for the promotion of defence tiesbetween the two countries, contributing to affirming the role of defencecooperation in the partnership between the two parties and states.

He thanked the Chinese side for their warmwelcome.

Over the past few years, Vietnam and Chinahave enjoyed growing ties with the effective implementation of commonperspectives reached by senior leaders of both countries, including those indefence cooperation.

The affiliation between border guard forcesof the two countries have contributed to the building and safeguarding of ashared land border of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

Over its five years of organisation, thebilateral border defence friendship exchange programme has affirmed itseffectiveness and political significance, receiving high evaluation from thetwo defence ministries, local governments, and peoples along the shared border.–VNA