Top Chinese Envoy Visits Vietnam as South China Sea Tension Rises

 

Reuters, 27/06 13:44 CET

By Mai Nguyen and Martin Petty

HANOI (Reuters) – China’s top diplomat met Vietnam’s leadership on Monday during a scheduled visit aimed at strengthening historically close relations at a time when ties are strained by squabbles over the South China Sea.

The trip by State Councillor Yang Jiechi comes amid a Chinese public relations blitz to try to discredit a looming verdict by an international tribunal, which could aggravate tensions if it undermines Beijing’s vast claims to waters extending far into Southeast Asia.

Yang, who outranks China’s foreign minister, and Vietnam’s Foreign Minister and deputy premier, Pham Binh Minh, expressed a need to implement joint agreements on preventing rows from getting out of hand, said Vietnam’s foreign ministry.

That included “controlling conflicts well, boosting negotiation mechanisms … and finding basic and long-term solutions that both sides can accept through peaceful exchanges and negotiations”, the ministry said in a statement.

Click here for the full article.

Source: euronews.