- China has reached out to Vietnam in an attempt to ease the simmering tension between the two countries
- Vietnam said it is willing to cooperate with its territorial rival to sustain peace and stability in the region
- Tension between the two communist nations heightened after China’s deployment of missile launchers and fighter jets to Woody island last month
HANOI, Vietnam – Amid the raging maritime dispute in the West Philippines Sea/South China Sea, China has reached out to Vietnam by proposing to deepen the military ties between the two communist nations.
China has been widely accused of militarizing the region by deploying surface-to-air missile system and fighter jets in Woody Island, a feature which is part of the Paracels chain also claimed by Vietnam.
During a recent visit to Hanoi, Chinese defense minister Chang Wanquan met with Vietnam Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong where he urged the two nations to “increase high level exchanges and strategic communication, increase friendly feelings, and deepen border defense exchanges and practical cooperation on U.N. peacekeeping, military academic research and the defense industry.”
In response to Chang’s statement, Trong said Hanoi is willing “to cooperate with Beijing to sustain peace and stability on the basis of respecting mutual interests and abiding by internal law.”
The Vietnamese official added both country’s military should conduct joint maritime patrols, high-level meetings and ensure proper coordination between the armed forces in an effort to further “strengthen regional ties.”
Tension between the two neighbors heightened early this month after Chinese Coast Guards intercepted Vietnamese fishermen operating near the Spratlys, the regional flashpoint where the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also have overlapping claims.
China is under heavy criticisms from the United States, Australia and Japan for violating international laws by constructing military and civilian facilities on the disputed islands.
The three regional powerhouses vowed to challenge China’s assertion of its so-called absolute sovereignty over a group of islands in the South China Sea/ West Philippine Sea by planning to routinely send patrol boats to what is generally regarded as part of international waters and airspace.
In 2014, diplomatic tension between China and Vietnam reached its lowest in decades after Beijing deployed an oil rig off the coast of Paracels, sparking a week-long nationwide protest in Hanoi.
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