Vietnam, China seek Tonkin Gulf settlement by 2000
HANOI - Vietnam and China have agreed to speed
up negotiations over border disputes in the Tonkin Gulf and reach a
settlement by next year's deadline, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
A statement from Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh
said the 11th round of talks between Vietnam and China on delineation
of the Tonkin Gulf was held this week in Hanoi.
She described the talks as friendly and sincere but gave no details on
any progress in the negotiations, which most analysts expect to drag on
beyond the 2000 deadline agreed by the two countries.
``Both sides continued deep exchanges on content related to the
Tonkin Gulf delineation and agreed to accelerate negotiations,'' she
said.
She said the next round of talks on the Tonkin Gulf -- which lies off
northern Vietnam and southern China -- would be held in Beijing
between April and June.
Vietnam and China also hold regular talks on trying to iron out disputes
over their common land border, but Thanh did not mention that issue.
In addition, the two countries have competing claims in two South
China Sea archipelagoes -- the Spratly and Paracel island chains.
Vietnam and China have a long history of animosity and distrust despite
their current ideological similarities.
Reuters - January 29, 1999.
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