hanoi, vietnam — Vietnam and China agreed on Saturday to boost defense and security cooperation despite their years-long maritime dispute in the South China Sea, said the Vietnamese government.


China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector. 


The two countries on Saturday also agreed to boost economic ties, with China pledging to further open its market for Vietnamese farm produce while Vietnam would facilitate Chinese investment, the government added in a statement. 


It said the two countries will prioritize cooperation in developing railway links.   


The statement came after Chinese premier Li Qiang met Vietnamese President To Lam in Hanoi late on Saturday, as Li began his three-day state visit to Vietnam. 


Sources told Reuters on Friday that China and Vietnam are expected to sign new agreements — including pacts to boost railway links and agricultural trade — during the visit. 


Li is expected to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and attend a business forum in Hanoi on Sunday. 


Early this month, Vietnam protested to China over what it said was an attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat in contested South China Sea waters that injured several fishermen. 

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