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Sep 22, 2016 / 10:24

Vietnam, China hold talks to boost maritime cooperation

Vietnam and China on September 21 agreed to step up their cooperation in less sensitive maritime issues during the ninth round of talks between working groups from the two countries, which have been held in Hanoi.

 
Vietnamese border guards rescue a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground in Vietnam's waters
Vietnamese border guards rescue a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground in Vietnam's waters
The Vietnamese working group to the event was led by Le Quy Quynh, Director of the Maritime Affairs Department under the National Boundary Commission of the Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile the Chinese side was headed by Zhoujian, a representative from the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

At the talks, the two sides emphasised to strictly implement the common perceptions of the two countries’ senior leaders and the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues.

They reviewed the implementation of cooperation projects in less sensitive issues they signed, including a project on a comparative study on Holocene-era sediments in the Red River Delta and the Chang Jiang River Delta, and another on the management of maritime and island environment in the Gulf of Tonkin. 

During the talks, the two sides agreed to continue realising their all-level common perceptions, including the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters, as well as outcomes of the meeting between the two countries’ Deputy Foreign Ministers.

They reached a lot of common perceptions in accelerating the implementation of cooperation projects in less sensitive maritime issues they have already signed, including a project on a comparative study on Holocene-era sediments in the Red River Delta and the Chang Jiang River Delta, and another on the management of maritime and island environment in the Gulf of Tonkin. They also discussed other areas of cooperation.

In effectuating the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related matters , Vietnam and China established working groups for cooperation in less sensitive maritime issues in 2012. Since then, they have held eight rounds of talks and signed two cooperation projects, which have helped strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation.

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung hosted a reception for delegates of the two working groups. Both sides also exchanged notes on other areas of cooperation. The next meeting will be organised in China in the first quarter of 2017.