The common perception of senior leaders of the two countries serves as the foundation for exchange and cooperation activities between the two defense ministries in general and border defense forces of the two countries in particular to be continuously promoted and obtain positive developments in the past ten years.
Intensively-developed cooperation
Exchange and cooperation activities between Vietnam and China in border areas have been enhanced and expanded, primarily based on the foundation of the flourishing defense ties between the two countries.
Talking with reporters at a recent event, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Relations of the Defense Ministry Senior Colonel Nguyen Duy Minh said that on the basis of reached agreements and cooperation mechanisms, especially the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation between two defense ministries until 2025, the two militaries have effectively implemented various cooperation contents in a more intensive manner and obtained substantial outcomes.
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A Pa Chai Border Post of the Dien Bien provincial Border Guard Command of Vietnam and China’s Qushui Police Post conducting a bilateral patrol along the Vietnam-China borderline |
The two sides have paid attention to strengthening exchange of delegations, especially high-level ones (through both online and offline forms); signed important documents and cooperation agreements; effectively maintained such regular cooperation mechanisms as deputy ministerial-level defense policy dialogue, border defense friendship exchange, joint patrol in the Gulf of Tokin between naval forces and bilateral patrol between border guard forces; developed exchange and twinning models among border posts. Cooperation in party and political work, military medicine, search and rescue, training, research, and academic exchanges has been beefed up by the two defense ministries.
Especially, during the most challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two defense ministries and militaries promptly provided assistance to each other in terms of medical supplies and equipment and shared experience in disease prevention and control.
Potential for expanding cooperation
In an interview granted to reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper before completing his tenure as Chinese defense attaché to Vietnam, Senior Colonel Pan Tao said that in recent years, the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has seen stable and healthy developments, and the bilateral defense cooperation has positively developed.
Senior Colonel Pan Tao mentioned regular high-level meetings and exchanges of delegations between the two militaries. The cooperative mechanisms at all levels and in various fields have been intensively and practically promoted. Particularly, the mutual assistance and support between the two militaries in the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control demonstrated a unique relationship of both comradeship and brotherhood of the two countries. The strategic direction of senior leaders of the two countries and the foundation of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership have motivated the bilateral defense ties to develop strongly.
According to Senior Colonel Pan Tao, the positive development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has provided motivation for the advancement of bilateral defense ties. Although the two sides have had complete mechanisms and practical activities, and the relations have acknowledged by leaders of the two countries, the diplomat said that there is still ample room for the bilateral defense relations to develop.
Based on the obtained results, the Vietnam-China joint statement on continuing to promote and deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership on the occasion of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to China in 2022 affirmed that defense cooperation is one of the pillars in the bilateral relationship.
The sound defense cooperative relationship is a foundation for Vietnam and China to lift their border cooperation through an exchange program which was launched in 2014 and has become an outstanding cooperation model in border areas of the two countries.
(to be continued)
Translated by Tran Hoai