Vietnam, China agree to boost defense cooperation
VOV.VN - Vietnam and China will promote defense cooperation to realize agreements reached by the two countries’ top leaders during the recent official visit to China by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
The agreement was reached during a meeting in Cambodia on November 22 between Vietnamese Defence Minister Phan Van Giang and his China counterpart Wei Fenghe who are attending the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and the nine ADMM Plus (ADMM+) in Phnom Penh.
According to Phnom Penh-based VOV correspondents, the two sides frankly exchanged views and agreed to solve pending issues from a strategic height, for the common interests of the two countries, by peaceful means, and on the basis of international law.
General Giang reaffirmed Vietnam’s policy of settling issues at sea by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He stressed the need to bring into full play negotiation mechanisms at sea, promote delimitation and discussion on development cooperation, and fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), while striving to develop a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.
The two ministers agreed that despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, defense cooperation between Vietnam and China over the past time has been maintained through flexible and effective forms of exchange.
They agreed to further increase visit exchanges at all levels, effectively implement existing exchange and cooperation mechanisms, including the Deputy Minister-level Defense Strategy Dialogue, Border Defense Friendship Exchange, as well as those between the two countries’ armed forces, military academies and schools, while continuing to coordinate and support each other at multilateral military and defense forums.
General Giang congratulated China on the success of the recent 20th national congress of the Chinese Communist Party with Xi Jinping re-elected top leader. He affirmed that Vietnam respects General Secretary Xi Jinping’s invitation to Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to visit China just after the conclusion of the congress.
Wei, for his part, affirmed that defense cooperation between China and Vietnam plays an important role in bilateral relations, and strengthening such cooperation will help enhance the cooperative ties between the two Parties and States, for the benefit of the two peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in each country as well as in the region and the wider world.