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Vietnam tells China they must respect each other’s maritime rights and interests
- President To Lam also calls on Beijing to further open market for Vietnamese produce during talks with Chinese envoy Xiong Bo
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Vietnam’s newly elected leader To Lam says relations with China are a priority but that the two nations need to respect each other’s maritime rights and interests.
Lam, who took office three weeks ago, made the remarks during a meeting with Chinese ambassador Xiong Bo in Hanoi on Tuesday.
Lam also called on China to further open its market for Vietnamese produce and said Hanoi stands ready to boost bilateral exchanges, including between high-ranking officials.
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“Vietnam regards friendly relations and cooperation with China as a strategic choice and priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification,” Lam said, according to the foreign ministry’s official news agency The World & Vietnam Report.
The Vietnamese president said the “traditional friendship” between the two neighbours was characterised by comradeship and brotherhood, which should be preserved, inherited and promoted.
Beijing and Hanoi have long clashed over their rival claims to the South China Sea. In the latest flare-up, Vietnam’s foreign ministry on Thursday said it was deeply concerned over the presence of a Chinese survey vessel in its exclusive economic zone.
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