Beijing, Hanoi agree to manage disputes

By Jiang Jie Source:Global Times Published: 2015-11-7 0:43:01

Joint work planned for Beibu Gulf


Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday concluded his two-day State visit to Vietnam with the issuing of a joint communiqué for the two countries agreeing to properly manage and control the maritime disputes.

The document said that the two sides agreed to effectively implement the Declaration on the Conducts of the Parties in the South China Sea and promote the realization of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea based on negotiated consensus, reported China Central Television (CCTV).

It added that the two countries also agreed not to take actions that could complicate or magnify the issue and will deal with problems in a timely and proper manner.

"The communiqué demonstrated the two countries' sincerity to address the South China Sea issue and it showed our consensus that bilateral ties and cooperation should not be damaged by the issue," Ji Qiufeng, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University, told the Global Times on Friday.

Meanwhile, China and Vietnam agreed to launch a joint inspection on the waters outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf in December, which can be seen as an important foundation for further maritime cooperation, the communiqué said.

The two sides also planned to steadily promote the negotiation of demarcation of the waters outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf, and actively foster the joint development of these waters, according to the document.

In an article bylined as Xi Jinping on Thursday in the Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan, he expressed hope that the two sides could learn from the resolution of the previous territorial maritime disputes in the Beibu Gulf, through dialogue and consultations, to seek mutually acceptable, lasting solutions to solve the current maritime dispute.

The communiqué can help ease the tensions in the South China Sea on a short term by singling out the main contradiction on the maritime disputes, Ji noted. However, Ji said that communiqué carries little legal validity and Vietnam prefers not to bind its hands with deals with one country.

Also on Friday, Vietnam agreed to invite a Japanese warship to visit its strategic Cam Ranh Bay base on the South China Sea and for the two countries to hold their first ever joint naval exercise, Kyodo News reported.

Addressing the National Assembly of Vietnam on Friday, Xi said that China-Vietnam relations have strategic importance and both countries are capable of dispelling disruptions in bilateral ties.

Xi said the two countries should comprehensively deepen and reinforce mutually beneficial cooperation, which has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and is conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

"Xi's visit can help strengthen economic cooperation, which has been developing rapidly over the years thanks to geo-economic advantages enjoyed by the two countries. Enhanced cooperation on economy and trade is also the binding agent and the foundation for a closer tie," Ling Shengli, an expert from China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

During the meeting with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, Xi said the Communist Party of China stands ready to promote party-to-party communication with the Vietnamese side and that China is willing to strengthen the exchanges of experiences in governance and party building with Vietnam, so as to jointly improve the governing capacity of both sides.

Xinhua contributed to this story

Posted in: Diplomacy

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