Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the 30th ASEAN Summit 
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha reached the agreement during a bilateral meeting in Manila on April 29 on the sidelines of the 30th ASEAN Summit.At the meeting, the two PMs said they are pleased that the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership has progressed well and agreed to resolve their outstanding problems in the upcoming joint cabinet meeting.In addition, the two sides agreed to work towards a trade balance and enhanced investment cooperation in which Thai investors will assist their peers from Vietnam.Phuc urged the effective implementation of the action programme to carry out the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership for the 2014-2018 period and established cooperation mechanisms in line with increase in high-level exchange of visits.He proposed Vietnam and Thailand hold negotiations on bilateral agreements in criminal extradition and judicial assistance.He also suggested the two countries establish a hotline for settlement of maritime incidents.In terms of ASEAN cooperation, the leaders shared the view on prioritizing the building of unity in the bloc and promoting ASEAN’s central role. They agreed that ASEAN should enhance coordination of positions and viewpoints on regional security and strategic issues, including the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and pushing for real progress in negotiating the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).The Thai PM invited his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Thailand.