Vietnam and China have just closed 7-year long land border demarcation by issuing a joint statement on the issue with pledges to build a borderline of peace, friendship and long-term stability.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Dung, head of Vietnam’s negotiators, and Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei, have agreed demarcation of 1,400 kilometers and erected more than 2,000 borderland markers since Vietnam and China signed the border boundary pact in 1999.
“Completion of the Sino-Vietnamese border demarcation is of great significance to the two countries’ histories,” the joint statement emphasized.
The two countries have confirmed that they will sign a protocol on land border demarcation and agreement on the issue, the government of Vietnam has said on its website on January 1.
Vietnamese and Chinese officials have vowed to beef up cooperation to maintain peace, stability and co-developments.
On this occasion, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Vu Dung is quoted by the state-run newswire Vietnamnet as refuting “land cuts” for neighbors as covered by foreign media.
The Sino-Vietnamese relations have witnessed ups and downs. Vietnam had been under more than 1,000-year dominations by Chinese feudalist rulers; then Communist China backed Vietnam during Vietnam War; fought wars against Vietnam in 1979 by sending troops for ousting Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge and normalized relations in 1991, observers said.
And now Communist Vietnam wants to learn lessons and experience from Communist China for its doi moi (renewal), post-WTO integration and particularly in the face of the global economic slowdown, and members of Politburo, the most powerful body in Vietnam, have highlighted that, Vietnamese state media said.
However, ahead China and Vietnam will have tough tasks relating to delineation of waters including outside Tonkin Gulf, Paracels and Spratlys Archipelagos which are believed to be oil-rich reserves China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam do claim their in part sovereignty over. (www.chinhphu.vn, The People, Labor)
Vietnamese
