During Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Vietnam, the two countries
reaffirmed their commitments to maintain peace and stability in
Beibu Bay (the Tonkin Gulf) and the South China Sea.
In a joint communiqué released on October 8, both countries
vowed to honor their commitments to the Beibu Bay Demarcation
Agreement, the Beibu Bay Fishery Cooperation Agreement and the
Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,
promising not to take any unilateral action that may complicate or
exacerbate territorial disputes.
Reiterating their support for the principles of mutual
understanding and compromise, the two neighbors agreed to avoid
resorting to military measures or any other force or threats of
force to implement claims in Beibu Bay.
The two countries signed the Beibu Bay agreements in December
2000 and they officially came into effect on June 30, 2004. China
and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) are signatories to the South China Sea declaration.
On maritime rights, the two countries vowed to maintain and
increase the frequency of negotiations to seek a basic and
long-term resolution that is acceptable to both.
Territorial disputes over the Sino-Vietnamese border consist of
the demarcation of land boundaries and the Beibu Bay, as well as
sovereignty of maritime rights and interests in the Nansha
(Spratley) Islands and their adjacent waters. Both sides have
agreed to resolve these problems through peaceful talk and
consultation.
China also said that it will support Vietnam in joining the
147-member World Trade Organization and hopes to complete its
negotiations with Vietnam soon, while Vietnam promised not to apply
three non-beneficial provisions that China accepted for its
accession into the WTO.
(China Daily October 9, 2004)