By Huyen Le September 10, 2020 | 08:50 pm GMT+7 vnexpress
A vessel by the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance performs its duty at sea. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong.
Vietnam and China have agreed to promote negotiations for the delimitation of sea areas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin.
The two sides will also negotiate cooperation on the East Sea, which is known internationally as the South China Sea.
The two countries held online the 13th round of negotiations regarding the seas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the 10th round of consultation on cooperation for mutual benefit at sea on Wednesday, according to a Thursday press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides have agreed to boost negotiations on the delimitation of sea areas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin as planned, and to discuss cooperation and mutual development in the East Sea to proceed as per international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both are signatories.
The two countries also discussed recent situations in the East Sea and agreed on abiding by common awareness of both countries’ leaders, including the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues and directions given by the heads of government-level delegations for border and territorial affairs on resolving conflicts without engaging in activities that would complicate the situation and maintaining peace and stability in the region.
The two sides also agreed to hold the 14th round of negotiations regarding the seas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the 11th round of consultations on cooperation for mutual development at sea at an appropriate time as determined by the two countries via diplomatic channels.
Vietnam and China had finished negotiations on the delimitation of areas within the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and signed a maritime delimitation agreement in 2000.
As per the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues signed by Vietnam and China in 2011, the two sides would resolve issues at sea while respecting legal evidence and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) while continuing friendly relations, making the East Sea a peaceful sea area and contributing to the maintenance of stability in the region.Related News:
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