Vietnam, China agree to avoid conflicts in South China Sea

Vietnam and China have agreed to avoid conflicts and resolve maritime issues in the disputed South China Sea, in what is seen as a move to ease tensions over Beijing’s claims to most of the waterway.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi on Monday.

The two sides agreed to "well manage disputes at sea, make no moves that may complicate or expand disputes, (and) maintain peace and stability on the East Sea," the Vietnamese version of the statement said, using another name for the contested waters.

China's official Xinhua news agency also reported that Beijing and Hanoi had "reached an important consensus in accordance with leaders of the two parties and countries, to appropriately manage maritime issues, steadily advance all forms of maritime cooperation, including joint development, and jointly strive to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea."

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s state television said the Chinese president had told his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang that he wanted to discuss a “code of conduct” in the disputed sea with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during three-day summit of the organization which is underway in the Philippines.

Hanoi is in dispute with Beijing over territory in the South China Sea. Tensions over the matter spiked earlier this year when Vietnam started and then had to suspend an oil exploration project in an area of the sea.

SS