People wearing face masks visit the Vatican Museums, on Feb. 5, 2021.  (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

After friendly negotiation, China and the Vatican have agreed to extend the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops for another two years, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday.

In response to a query by the press at a daily press briefing on Monday, Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson said that the agreement was reached on Saturday. The two will keep close contact and consultation to push forward proper implementation of the provisional agreement and constantly advance the process of improving bilateral ties, said Wang.

This was the second time the agreement was extended for another two years since it was first reached in 2018.

China and the Vatican signed the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in Beijing on September 22, 2018. On October 22, 2020, the two decided to extend the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops for another two years.