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Vietnamese and Chinese coast guard forces complete the joint fishery patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin on April 26, 2019. (A file photo)

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Dang Thang, a department director at the National Boundary Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the Chinese side was led by Yang Renhuo, a representative for border and maritime issues at the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a friendly and constructive atmosphere, the two sides exchanged opinions about the two working groups’ activities. They shared the view that on the basis of the agreed road map, the two sides will push ahead with negotiations on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and cooperation for mutual development in the East Sea (South China Sea) in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both Vietnam and China are parties.

The two sides engaged in straightforward discussion on the situation in the East Sea in the recent past, and reached agreement on the serious adherence to the common perceptions reached by the countries’ leaders, including the 2011 Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues and directions given by the heads of the governmental-level negotiation delegations for border and territorial affairs. The two sides also agreed to refrain from conducting acts that can complicate the situation, and to maintain peace and stability in the region.

The two sides agreed to organize the next rounds of negotiations of the two working groups at a suitable time, to be arranged through diplomatic channel.

Source: VNA