China, Vietnam call truce on maritime tensions

BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- China and Vietnam will avoid any actions that might worsen their disputes on maritime issues, Chinese and Vietnamese officials agreed in Beijing on Wednesday.

Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan said during his meeting with Le Hong Anh, special envoy of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, that "China-Vietnam relations for a while have been tense and difficult, which we are unwilling to see."

The special envoy's visit to China reflects the CPV's and the Vietnamese government's "political will to mend and develop bilateral relations," said Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

"We expect Vietnam to continue to work with us to bring bilateral relations back to the track of healthy and stable development," he said.

In mid-May, a series of riots hit foreign companies in southern and central Vietnam, leaving five Chinese nationals dead, around 20 foreign factories burned down, and some 1,100 foreign companies affected.

The violence came amid tension between China and Vietnam over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Le Hong Anh, standing secretary of the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day visit.

The visit is aimed at coming up with measures "to cool the situation," Le Hai Binh, spokesperson of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said ahead of the special envoy's departure.

Under the three-point agreement reached on Wednesday, China and Vietnam will earnestly implement a basic guideline for the resolution of China-Vietnam maritime issues signed in October 2011, make best use of the bilateral governmental border negotiation mechanism, seek basic and lasting solutions acceptable to both sides, study and discuss how to seek joint exploration of the South China Sea, avoid actions that might complicate and expand the disputes and safeguard the overall stability of bilateral relations and peace in the South China Sea.

The CPC and the CPV will deepen their exchanges, restore collaboration in defense, trade and the economy, law enforcement and people-to-people exchanges, according to the agreement.

Liu said the two countries should properly address maritime issues through cooperation, calling on them to stick to negotiation, control the maritime situation, seek common development and break new ground in overall China-Vietnam strategic cooperation.

Le Hong Anh said it is the long-term strategy of the CPV and the Vietnamese government to cooperate strategically with China.

In light of the current complicated international situation, seeking cooperation and resolving differences are important for both countries, the envoy said, expressing his belief in the resumption of Vietnam-China cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to meet the special envoy later on Wednesday.