Illustrative image. Source: Vietnam Coast Guard Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam and China held the 13th round of negotiations ofthe working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin andthe 10th round of talks of theworking group for consultation on cooperation for mutual development at sea, both in the form of video conference, on September 9.
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Dang Thang, a departmentdirector at the National Boundary Commission under the Ministryof Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the Chinese side was led by Yang Renhuo, a representativefor border and maritime issues at the Department of Boundaryand Ocean Affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a friendly andconstructive atmosphere, the two sides exchanged opinions about the two workinggroups’ activities. They shared the view that on the basis of the agreed roadmap, the two sides will push ahead withnegotiations on the delimitation of the sea area beyond themouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and cooperation for mutual development in the EastSea in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Lawof the Sea, to which both Vietnam and China are parties.
The two sides engaged in straightforward discussion on the situation inthe East Sea in the recent past, and reached agreement on the serious adherence to the common perceptions reached by the countries’leaders, including the 2011 Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issuesand directions given by the heads of the governmental-level negotiationdelegations for border and territorial affairs. The two sides also agreed to refrain from conducting acts that can complicatethe situation, and to maintain peace and stability in the region.
The two sides agreed to organise the next rounds ofnegotiations of the two working groups at a suitabletime, to be arranged through diplomatic channel./.
VNA
