Vietnam and China negotiate on maritime issues
VOV.VN - The working groups of Vietnam and China on July 4 held two rounds of negotiations on the waters beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and on cooperation for mutual development at sea, in Guangdong, China.
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Trinh Duc Hai, deputy head of the National Boundary Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Chinese side was headed by Yang Renhuo, deputy director-general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides reaffirmed each nation's principled stance on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, and examined cooperation for mutual development at sea. They had in-depth discussions on these two issues on the basis of conformity with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They agreed to respect each other’s legal and legitimate concerns, strictly implement important common perceptions reached between their top leaders, the "agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China", and promote discussions on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and cooperation for mutual development at sea to soon achieve substantive progress.
They vowed to promote cooperation at sea, including the early negotiation and signing of a new agreement on fisheries cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, thus contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and the region, and to the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.