Vietnam snubs Chinese defence minister over islands dispute
HANOI - Vietnam snubbed visiting Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian Saturday, insisting it would brook no compromise in its
territorial dispute with its giant neighbour in the South China Sea and detailing its military preparedness.
Top officials, military commanders and border guards met to discuss the defence of the disputed Spratly islands just as Chi held
talks with communist party chief Le Kha Phieu Friday, an official daily revealed.
"Vietnam has striven to settle these disputes in a peaceful manner but remains detemined to defend its sovereignty over every
metre (yard) of its sea border," said the Ho Chi Minh City newspaper Saigon Giai Phong.
The article was carried on the paper's front-page just as Chi was due to travel to the commercial capital following his talks here
in Hanoi.
The paper revealed for the first time that naval patrols uncovered nearly 300 "violations" last year in areas of the archipelago
under Hanoi's control.
"The nature of the disputes remained extremely intense," the paper said, although it acknowledged that there had been "no
military clashes."
The "violations" included unauthorised fishing as well as exploitation of oil and other natural resources of the continental shelf.
Although more than half of the islands are under Vietnam's control, they are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines
and Taiwan, as well as China.
In recent years there have been a string of high profile incidents involving Chinese encroachments of areas under Philippine
control, including one as recently as last month.
But Vietnam had hitherto stayed silent about encroachments in areas under its control.
Friday's meeting decided that the islands should have their own local government just like any other part of Vietnam, Saigon
Giaphong said.
"We must rapidly establish an administration for the the islands to solve its administrative problems."
Naval commanders reassured their colleagues that every measure was being taken to defend Vietnamese sovereignty over the
Spratlys.
A new communications link had just been established on the main island from which the archipelago takes its name to ensure
rapid connections with the mainland, they revealed.
A string of measures had also been taken to improve the morale and readiness of Vietnamese garrisons.
All of the islands now had access to electricity and video or tape recorders while "29 out of 32" had satellite television.
A 1996 paper setting out Hanoi's territorial claim had said Vietnam only controlled 20 of the islands against eight held by the
Philippines, six by China, three by Malaysia and one islet held by Taiwan.
Saigon Giai Phong said Friday's meeting at the island's administrative headquarters in Binh Thuan province had been organized
by the powerful ideological commission of the ruling communist party's central committee.
Beijing delivered a similar snub over the Spratlys to Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong when he visited China two months
ago.
In the official media's coverage of Chi's talks here there was no hint of the disagreement over the Spratlys.
Both sides hailed agreements reached in December 1999 and December 2000 on their disputed borders on land and in the
Gulf of Tonkin -- two other areas of contention left over from the brief but bloody border war which the communist rivals
fought in 1979.
"The execution of the two agreements between the two parties and states have helped the relationship flourish, serving the
interest of the two nations' peoples," Phieu was quoted as saying.
China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups all the other claimants to Spratlys except
Taiwan, have been holding talks on a proposed code of conduct for the disputed area, so far without success.
Agence France Presse - February 10, 2001.
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