HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam and China have concluded two days of joint naval patrols, including a port call in China, despite a heated dispute over claims in the South China Sea, media reports said Tuesday.

Two boats from each country participated in the patrols Sunday and Monday, sailing more than 300 nautical miles in the Gulf of Tonkin bordering Vietnam and China, Vietnam's People's Army Newspaper said. A demarcation treaty for the area was signed in 2000.

"Respecting the signed agreements is one of the factors that will promote the friendly and neighborly relations between two countries and ensure sustainable stability and security at sea," it quoted Col. Nguyen Van Kiem, deputy chief of staff of Vietnam's navy, as saying.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei did not comment on the joint patrol at a regular news conference Tuesday. He reiterated Beijing's sovereignty over the South China Sea, but said it would work toward a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute.

The joint patrol was the 11th since 2005 between the two countries.