Vietnam, China discuss Tonkin Gulf, sea issues
Vietnamese and Chinese experts discussed the sea area off the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf during the fifth expert-level negotiation round in Hanoi on February 19-20.
The two sides confirmed to realize top Vietnamese and Chinese leaders’ common perceptions of strengthening talks on the delimitation of the sea area off the gulf and how to further cooperation for mutual development there.
They also discussed specific contents regarding the issues.
The fifth round of negotiations on cooperation in less sensitive sea issues between Vietnam and China took place in Hanoi at the same time.
The two sides reached an agreement on a plan to implement two cooperative projects. One covers a joint research on the management of the marine and island environment in the Gulf and the other will conduct a comparative research on sediment dating back to the Holocene epoch in the Red River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta.
They continued their discussion on a draft agreement relating to search and rescue cooperation at sea so as to sign and commence it in 2014.
The two sides agreed that the sixth round of expert-level negotiations on the sea area off the Tonkin Gulf will be held in the second half of this year and the other on cooperation in less sensitive issues at sea is scheduled for May in China.