(Photo: CGTN)

Bilateral ties between China and Vietnam are facing new opportunities and challenges, as international and regional situations undergo profound and complicated changes, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Tran Quoc Vuong, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and executive secretary of the CPVCC's Secretariat.

Overall relations between China and Vietnam have been improving, Xi said, noting that the good momentum has strengthened since last year.

Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the CPV Central Committee, visited China in January 2017, followed by Xi's tour to Vietnam last November.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. Xi called on the two sides to maintain high-level exchanges, align their development strategies, and deepen practical cooperation.

China and Vietnam should effectively manage their differences through dialogue and consultation, Xi stressed. He expressed the hope that concrete progress can be made in maritime joint development of the two countries at an early date.

Despite some overlapping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea, Beijing and Hanoi reached a series of consensus on strengthening cooperation on maritime issues during Xi's visit to Vietnam last year, such as pushing forward joint development of the Beibu Gulf and implementing agreed cooperative projects in less sensitive areas.

Tran said Vietnam highly appreciates China's important contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world. He added that developing friendly ties with China is Vietnam's top priority in its external relations.