Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards join in combating crimes in Gulf of Tonkin

The joint patrol was put forth at an online meeting between the two sides held on January 31.

The event was co-hosted by Colonel Luong Dinh Hung, director of the Department of Professional Affairs and Law under the Vietnam Coast Guard, and Colonel Ding Wengang, director of the law enforcement department of the Nanhai branch of the China Coast Guard.

Apart from reaching a consensus on sharing information on crimes in the Gulf of Tonkin, with a focus on drug trafficking and illegal immigration, the two sides consented to work together as a means of devising plans for crime prevention and asking competent authorities for permission to take joint actions.

The Vietnamese coast guard force has recorded signs of trafficking, trade fraud, drug crimes, and the illegal transport of oil in the waters of Mong Cai, a locality with robust trade activities with China.

According to Colonel Hung, sophisticated methods and tricks of criminals coupled with violations of fishing vessels from the two countries pose risks to security order in the waters.

Both sides adopted the agreement on maritime boundary delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin back in 2004.

Over recent times, the pact was implemented seriously as a contribution to reinforcing their traditional friendship, as well as maintaining and boosting stability and development in the waters.