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Head of the Foreign Ministry of China warned against the "mixing of external forces" in the South China Sea dispute
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
The head of Chinese diplomacy Wang Yi warned Vietnam against "deepening conflicts" on the disputed watershed, also announced the delivery of another 3 million vaccines against coronavirus to the neighbour.
Governments in Hanoi and Beijing should cultivate the peace and stability that Wang has estimated was hard to achieve in the South China Sea, and to counter the mixing of external forces in the dispute over this strategic waters. According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, during Friday talks with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minhi, the Chinese Foreign Minister also stressed that both countries should refrain from unilateral action on the disputed waters.
China announced that by the end of the year, they would give Vietnam another 3 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, which would in total increase the number of medicines donated to Vietnam to 5.7 million. The authorities in Hanoi recalled in a published statement of the need for both parties to respect their legitimate rights and interests, in accordance with existing international standards, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The government in Beijing complains to 90 percent of the South China Sea area, including waters under international law belonging to the surrounding countries – in addition to Vietnam, also the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Most Chinese goods are transited through the rich water resources.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague overturned China's territorial claims against the Philippines. However, the Beijing authorities ignored his ruling, and incidents continue to occur in the disputed area. The United States, which has repeatedly expressed its support for the smaller countries of the region, conducts regular patrols there, the so-called exercise of freedom of navigation.
Chinese-Vietnamese relations have been complicated for decades. Although the Communist parties of both countries maintain close relations, the maritime territorial dispute remains an unresolved problem. In 1988, between both Asian countries, China won a skirmish over one of the reefs in the Spratle Islands, which has since been occupied by Chinese armed forces. Earlier in 1979, Vietnam and China fought a short border war.
Written by Tomasz Augustyniak/PAP
