China and Vietnam have vowed to mutually manage their territorial differences in South China Sea and maintain peace in the disputed maritime territory, according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.    

The joint statement was issued after Vietnam's visiting leader Nguyen Phu Trong met with China's President Xi Jingping in Beijing. Nguyen, who is a communist party chief, arrived at China's national capital on Thursday to hold discussions with Chinese leaders on several bilateral issues.

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The statement released by Chinese state media, Xinhua, said that Beijing and Hanoi have agreed to "manage well their maritime difference, avoid actions that complicate the situation and escalate tensions, and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea."   

The joint statement also said that both nations have agreed to implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) on South China Sea and will make efforts to reach consensus on Code of Conduct (COC) on the basis of this declaration.

Xi, during the talks, also reportedly urged both nations to increase communication and build higher mutual trust for settlement of all disputes including the contagious maritime issue.

Nguyen is the first high profile leader from Hanoi to visit China, after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid a visit in September last year. During the landmark visit, Xi had urged Vietnam's leader that both nation must strive to resolve the South China Sea dispute through mutual talks.

Vietnam is one of the many claimants in South China Sea dispute, which China entirely claims as its own. The last year's historic ruling by international arbitration court has hardly made any impact on Beijing's stance on the maritime dispute. The ruling had termed China's historical claim over the maritime territory as "illegal."           

Tagschina, China and Vietnam, South China Sea, Vietnam