Border remains peaceful six years after landmark pact
China and Vietnam on Tuesday commemorated the implementation of three legal documents that helped resolve land disputes between the two countries, something they believe could shine a light on the current maritime disputes in the South China Sea, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and his Vietnamese counterpart Le Hoai Trung on Tuesday co-hosted a meeting in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the implementation of the three legal instruments. Around 100 people, including authorities on the boundary issues, representatives from border provinces and regions, think tanks and scholars from the two countries attended the meeting.
The three documents, which took effect in July 2010, indicate that the border issue between China and Vietnam, which involves more than 1,400 kilometers of border land, has been resolved, Liu told a conference on the review of the performance of the three documents in Nanning on Tuesday.
China and Vietnam officially signed the China-Vietnam Land Border Demarcation Protocol, the China-Vietnam Land Border Management System Agreement and the China-Vietnam Land Border Port and Management System Agreement on November 18, 2009, followed by demarcation negotiations and exploration, and the placing of border markers by China and Vietnam.
"The three documents have not only enhanced China-Vietnam relations but have also served as a foundation and legislative authority for border management work," Liu noted, adding that the documents symbolize the successful practice of peacefully negotiating and solving disputes.
"China and Vietnam used to have three main boundary disputes, including the ones on the land and in the Beibu Gulf, which have been solved, and in the South China Sea, which still exists," Zhu Zhenming, a deputy director of the Southeast Asia Research Institute affiliated with the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
This experience shows the importance of sincerity in solving disputes, Le Hoai Trung, Vietnamese Vice Foreign Minister, told reporters at the meeting on Tuesday. He added that future work would focus on increasing infrastructure investments.
During his visit to Vietnam in November 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi, where Xi called for the proper management and control of the maritime disputes.
Though the boundary issues are complex and sensitive, solving the demarcation on land and in the Beibu Gulf helped us realize that to solve such issues, we need to respect historic facts, consider international law, negotiate and understand each other, said Ouyang Yujing, Director-General of The Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the foreign ministry.
Bilateral benefits
The three documents also served to enhance the lives of border residents.
With the documents China and Vietnam have enhanced cooperation in cracking down on cross-border drug trafficking, gun smuggling and human trafficking, Gao Lianbin, deputy chief of the Border Control Department of Ministry of Public Security, said at the conference.
China and Vietnam are facing some non-traditional security issues, such as terrorism and cyber security issues. Greater cooperation between the two nations is needed to see the true situation and create mutual understanding, said Do Tien Sam, director of the Center of South China Sea Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
The three documents not only keep the border areas stable but have also made border trade for the residents more convenient, protected cross-nation marriages and enhanced the people's national identity, Zhu said.
US President Barack Obama on Monday lifted a Cold War-era ban on arms sales to Vietnam, as ties between the former foes improve. Obama made the announcement during his 3-day visit to Vietnam.
Obama visited Vietnam at a time of tensions in the South China Sea because the U.S. intends to draw Vietnam to its side to contain China, which is consistent with U.S. interests, said Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.
"Vietnam is seeking a balance between China and the U.S. to gain economic and security benefits," Gu further noted.
"China and Vietnam have solved boundary issues and intend to keep a peaceful and stable environment in the South China Sea, so we will work together toward our goals, trying not to be interrupted by outsiders," Ouyang said.
