The Vietnamese delegation was led by Director of the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ National Boundary Commission Nguyen Dang Thang, while representative for border and sea affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhou Jian headed the Chinese delegation. Scene of a joint fishery patrol between Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards. (Photo for illustration) In a friendly, straightforward and constructive atmosphere, the two sides discussed the activities of their working groups and assured the full observance of the common perceptions of the two countries’ leaders, including the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues. They also agreed that based on the principle of settling one issue at a time, Vietnam and China will step up negotiations on the delimitation of the seas in the Gulf of Tonkin and the discussion on cooperation for common development in the East Sea in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both countries are signatories. Both sides agreed to organize the next rounds of talks of the two working groups in Vietnam in the coming time. At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed the minutes of their talks. Translated by Lam Anh
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