China-Vietnam relations have ridden out rough patch: Li

BEIJING — China and Vietnam have agreed to “address and control” maritime disputes in the South China Sea, China’s state media said yesterday, following a meeting between the two countries’ leaders, in what is seen as the strongest indication yet by both sides to ease recent tensions.

Ties between the Communist neighbours sank to a three-decade low in May after a wave of deadly anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam was sparked by China’s deployment of a US$1 billion (S$1.27 billion) oil rig to disputed waters that Hanoi claims as part of its exclusive economic zone.

Sino-Vietnam relations have gradually improved ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s meeting with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the sidelines of the Asia Europe summit in Milan on Thursday.

The two countries should properly address and control maritime differences to create favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation, the official Xinhua news agency cited Mr Li as saying to Mr Dung.

“Thanks to efforts from both sides, China-Vietnam relations have ridden out the recent rough patch and gradually recovered,” Mr Li reportedly said.

Xinhua said Mr Dung agreed and endorsed boosting cooperation in infrastructure, finance and maritime exploration. The Vietnamese leader also emphasised the need for both sides to maintain control of the maritime situation, avoid actions that escalate the situation and foster negotiation mechanisms to jointly maintain regional peace and stability, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Mr Dung further suggested that both sides maintain high-level visits and meetings to improve trust and establish mutually beneficial collaboration in all fields.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich in deposits of oil and gas resources. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the waters where US$5 trillion of ship-borne goods pass every year.

Protests in Vietnam against the rig deployment turned violent in May, with bloody clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese workers in central Ha Tinh province killing at least four people and wounding at least 100. About 4,000 Chinese workers fled Vietnam following the tensions. China moved the rig on July 16, saying its mission was complete, although ties between the two countries remained testy.

In August, Mr Le Hongh Anh, a member of the Vietnamese Communist Party’s powerful Politburo, visited Beijing for talks with Chinese officials where both sides agreed on concerted efforts to mend ties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had told Mr Anh then that both countries should be friendly to each other to help repair relations following the flare-up, said Xinhua. Mr Liu Yunshan, a member of China’s elite Politburo Standing Committee, had also been quoted by Xinhua as telling Mr Anh on the visit that both sides should bring bilateral relations back on track.

But earlier this month, Vietnam voiced concerns over China’s completion of an upgraded airstrip in the Paracel Islands, an area in the South China Sea claimed by both Hanoi and Beijing. Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh was reported as saying the 2km-long runway on Woody Island, part of the Paracel group, was a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty after photos of the project appeared in Chinese media.

Alarmed by China’s military rise and growing assertiveness, Vietnam has broadened its military relationships in recent years, most notably with Cold War-era patron Russia, but also with the United States. Beijing has told Washington to stay out of disputes over the South China Sea and let countries in the region resolve the issue themselves.

Meanwhile, China’s Defence Minister Chang Wanquan held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, Mr Phung Quang Thanh, yesterday in Beijing, Xinhua reported, during which both sides agreed to gradually resume military ties. The two leaders vowed that the countries’ militaries would play a positive role in properly dealing with their maritime disputes and safeguarding a peaceful and stable situation, the news agency said. AGENCIES