China, Vietnam pledge to ‘manage’ sea dispute

CHINA and Vietnam agreed to “properly manage” territorial disputes in the South China Sea, rounding off a leaders’ meeting in Beijing as part of a diplomatic blitz by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The socialist neighbours both maintain sweeping claims to sovereignty in much of the contested waterway, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Trillions of dollars in ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea each year, and naval vessels from the United States and Western nations regularly sail through, though Beijing has ignored an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis.

Xi and other Chinese leaders met with Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing, holding “an in-depth and candid exchange on maritime issues”, according to a readout on Tuesday from Xinhua.

Beijing and Hanoi “agreed to properly handle maritime issues and contribute to long-term peace in the region”, the readout said.

They concurred that “it is crucial to properly manage differences and vowed to “actively negotiate transitional solutions that do not impact their positions”. — AFP