Vietnam, China hold negotiations on sea demarcation and maritime cooperation

By Phuong Vu   March 18, 2018 | 06:21 am PT
Both sides agreed to follow common perceptions on sea-related issues agreed upon by their leaders.

Vietnamese and Chinese working groups on Thursday and Friday convened in Da Nang for new rounds of talks on sea demarcation and maritime cooperation.

This week's meetings marked the two countries' ninth round of negotiations on the demarcation of areas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and sixth round of negotiations on cooperation in maritime development.

The Vietnamese working groups were headed by Nguyen Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the National Border Committee under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Zhou Jian, the representative for boundary and ocean affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed the Chinese delegation.

At the talks, the two sides discussed various issues related to their works in sea demarcation and maritime cooperation. Both sides affirmed they would seriously follow the common perceptions agreed upon by the two countries' leaders, including the "Agreement on the Basic Principles Guiding the Resolution of Maritime Issues".

Officials at the talks also agreed to sequentially and progressively promote negotiations on the demarcation of areas beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and on cooperation in maritime development in accordance with international laws, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

At the end of the talks, Vietnam and China agreed to organize the next rounds of negotiations in the near future, according to Nhan Dan newspaper.

 
 
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