Vietnam appreciates India's role in South China Sea

[Vikrant]

HANOI: Vietnam on Monday appreciated India's "constructive role" in the disputed South China Sea region notwithstanding China's objections to Indian involvement in that area.

General secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, who will arrive in New Delhi on a four-day trip tomorrow, also stressed the need for a long-term settlement of the vexed issue on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which has been opposed by China.

The Vietnamese leader, who will be visiting India on the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan, will hold talks with the top leadership on key bilateral and regional issues which may include South China Sea territorial dispute between China and its neighbours.

"I believe that peace, stability, maritime security and cooperation for mutual benefits in the East Sea represent the essential interest of countries within and outside the region. We highly appreciate India's constructive position on this issue," he told PTI in an interview.

Despite China's objections to Indian oil exploration in South China Sea, Vietnam has been asserting that India has the right to pursue oil exploration there as they were within Vietnamese "exclusive economic zone".

"In the immediate term, all parties must strictly observe the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea between ASEAN and China and accelerate the development of the Code of Conducts of Parties in the South China Sea," Nguyen said.

India has been maintaining that all concerned countries must respect principles of international law in resolving the issue while asserting that freedom of navigation and access to resources in the area must be ensured in accordance with laid down principles.

The leader said though Vietnam was satisfied with level of cooperation with India in diverse sectors, still it feels "huge room" remained in further enhancing ties.

"We have the grounds to be satisfied with the achievements obtained in the promotion of Vietnam-India ties in recent years, as well as to look forward to and believe in a stronger relationship in the future. We are fully aware that there remains huge room for expanding, deepening and raising the productivity of bilateral ties.

"One of the main objective of our visit to India is to discuss with the Indian leaders and set out concrete, effective measures and direction aimed to deepen and add more substances to the Vietnam-India strategic partnership and translate potentials into reality in the interest of the two countries' people," he said.

Vietnam appreciates India's role in South China Sea - The Times of India

 

[waltky]

Vietnam findin' out China not dey's bestest buddy after all...

Vietnam Urges 'Practical US Actions' in S. China Sea
June 06, 2014 WASHINGTON — Vietnam is calling on the United States to take a larger role in protecting the peace and settling conflicts in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

A foreign ministry spokesman in Hanoi, Le Hai Binh, said Friday, "We hope that the U.S. will have a stronger voice and make further practical acts to contribute to protecting maritime safety and security in the region and resolving the disputes there in accordance with international law.” The Vietnamese call for more U.S. involvement comes as Vietnamese ships continue to clash with Chinese ships near a controversial oil rig that Beijing placed in disputed waters last month.

In an interview with VOA's Vietnamese service Friday, Captain Le Van Xinh, whose fishing vessel has ventured into the area near the oil rig, described a scene of escalating dangers to boats like his. He also called for dialogue between Hanoi and Beijing. "We’d like to see the two countries, Vietnam and China, come up with peaceful resolutions through talks so that we, the fishermen, will be able to operate without fear within our own waters," said Le Van Xinh. "We’d like to ask Hanoi to try to protect our sovereignty so that we would be able to keep working on our traditional fishing areas to earn our living."

A Vietnamese sinking boat (L) which was rammed and then sunk by Chinese vessels near disputed Paracels Islands, is seen near a Marine Guard ship (R) at Ly Son island of Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province.

According to Vietnamese officials, Chinese ships have sunk one of its ships and damaged 24 others, as well as injured 12 members of its fisheries surveillance force. But China accuses Vietnamese ships of being the aggressors, saying they have rammed Chinese ships 120 times since early May. The U.S. has said it does not take sides in the dispute and wants countries in the region to settle their differences peacefully. At a recent military forum in Singapore, though, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said “China has undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea.” Last year, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the U.S. would provide about $18 million to help Vietnam patrol its territorial waters.

When asked recently about the prospect for further U.S. military support for Hanoi, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State of Human Rights, Tom Malinowski said the relationship will improve as Vietnam's human rights record improves. "Vietnam is a relatively small country with a very large neighbor. And Vietnam needs international law. It needs to be part of a community that is based on respect for a common set of rules that are broadly understood and broadly respected. And part of the bargain is that there are other rules and laws, including those that protect individuals," said Malinowski. China's territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Vietnam Urges 'Practical US Actions' in S. China Sea

See also:

World Leaders 'Deeply Concerned' about Asia Maritime Tensions
June 05, 2014 ~ The Group of Seven industrialized nations said it is "deeply concerned" about tensions in the East and South China Sea, where Beijing is involved in territorial disputes with its neighbors.

In a statement released after meeting Wednesday in Brussels, G7 leaders said they oppose unilateral attempts to assert territorial or maritime claims through use of intimidation, coercion or force. Though the statement did not mention any individual country, it is seen as a criticism of China, whose neighbors accuse it of using bullying tactics to advance its wide-ranging maritime claims. China and Japan both claim territory in the East China Sea. The dispute worsened in 2012 after Japan nationalized a group of islands there. Beijing has since declared an Air Defense Identification Zone in the area.

In the South China Sea, Beijing is involved in a tense standoff with Vietnam over a state-run Chinese oil rig that was placed in disputed waters off Hanoi's coast. Both countries' ships have exchanged water cannon fire and rammed each other. China's claims in the South China Sea also overlap with those of the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

The United States has said it does not take a position in the disputes, but has strongly criticized China's actions. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently called Beijing's moves "destabilizing." Beijing rejects such statements as foreign interference in its affairs. It has not commented on the G7 statement.

World Leaders 'Deeply Concerned' about Asia Maritime Tensions

 

[Vikrant]

^ China has always been hostile to Vietnam. There was a full blown military assault on Vietnam by PLA in 1979.