Senior Colonel Vu Van Khanh, former Head of the International Research Division, the Institute for Defense Strategy, mentioned this during the interview with reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper.
According to Senior Colonel Vu Van Khanh, the neighborly relations between Vietnam and China is special. China is the first country to establish a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Vietnam (June 2008). Attentively, China is also the first of the 18 strategic partners with which Vietnam conducts a number of extensive cooperation mechanisms and exchanges, both in Party's external relations, the State’s diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy. Among those, defense-security cooperation is seen as an important pillar.
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The Vietnamese and Chinese coast guard forces discuss during the four-day joint patrol in the waters adjacent to the Gulf of Tonkin demarcation line from April 11 to 13, 2023. |
Defense and security are sensitive fields, even considered a “measure” of the level of relations among countries in international relations, and the Vietnam-China relations are no exception. In the Vietnam-China joint statement released on the occasion of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam, the defense-security cooperation is defined as one of the pillars in the relationship between the two countries. This showed the high appreciation of leaders of the two parties and states of the role of the defense-security cooperation in consolidating strategic trust between the two countries, contributing to deepening Vietnam-China relations and creating favorable conditions for the two countries’ development. This is also a crucial time for Vietnam and China to lift defense-security cooperation to a new height.
Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China in 2008, the two countries have continuously boosted defense-security cooperation via various forms. However, it must be admitted that the defense-security cooperation has been not commensurate with political relations and not equal to the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between Vietnam and China. Some areas still have a lot of potential and room for cooperation. Meanwhile, strategic trust and the East Sea (South China Sea) issue... are "barriers" in strengthening relations between the two countries. Only when prejudices are overcome and strategic trust is achieved, can the defense-security cooperation become more effective and substantive.
Discussing mechanisms and solutions to intensify substantive cooperation in defense and security, Senior Colonel Vu Van Khanh said that both countries should continue to take initiatives or expand new forms of cooperation.
Firstly, Vietnam and China should enhance information and education to raise troops and people’s awareness of solidarity and traditional friendship between the two countries, which has been built and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and President Mao Zedong, generations of leaders, and people.
Secondly, they should consolidate the building of strategic trust between the two countries. This has been concretized in the Vietnam-China joint statement.
Thirdly, cooperation and exchanges at all levels in the military should be accelerated as stated in the joint statement. Meanwhile, both countries should develop and set up new cooperation mechanisms in defense-security, including promoting defense strategic dialogue mechanism; building up hotlines at the highest level between the two countries’ Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Public Security; and others.
Fourthly, both countries should strengthen cooperation in academic research and exchange between the two militaries and public securities. They should create favorable conditions for agencies and institutes to elevate cooperation in academic research; voice their opinions on the security situation in the region and in the world; exchange research on Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought and Mao Zedong Thought on the building of Vietnam-China friendship; and exchange scientific research results.
At the end of the interview, Senior Colonel Vu Van Khanh underlined that Vietnam and China are both socialist countries and are targets of the hostile forces in their “peaceful evolution” strategy, and riots and subversion plots, focusing on political and ideological fields. These plots and tricks aim to subvert the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist political systems in the two countries, “depoliticize” the armed forces and sabotage the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, both countries should intensify information exchange and coordination in preventing and fighting against “peaceful evolution.” Meanwhile, they should actively work together to defeat the plots of using the East Sea issue to divide Vietnam and China.
Reported by Ngoc Hung, Vu Hung, and Van Duyen
Translated by Quynh Oanh