General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong engaged in discussions with senior Chinese leaders during his recent official visit to China. China and Vietnam released a joint communiqué during his stay.

The South China Sea issue has become a focal point in Sino-Vietnamese relations. In the last year, the Vietnamese side has not only forcefully disrupted the normal drilling operations of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, but also incited and indulged domestic anti-China riots, resulting in casualties and heavy damage to Chinese enterprises. These activities serve as major obstacles to friendly Sino-Vietnamese relations .

Discussions on the South China Sea issue between China and Vietnam during this visit have attracted considerable attention. Both sides have reached consensus on properly settling maritime disputes, implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in a comprehensive and effective way, and reaching an agreement on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea through consultations. The two sides also agreed not to complicate or expand the disputes over the South China Sea and address the related problems properly and in a timely manner.

China and Vietnam have taken the whole situation into consideration, and decided to handle their maritime disputes in a constructive way. China has always attached great importance to its relations with Vietnam. While acknowledging that it is impossible to resolve the South China Sea issue in the short term, the Vietnamese are clearly aware that they should not ignore more important aspects of the relationship between Vietnam and China, and they must avoid damaging the fundamental interests of two peoples. During talks on April 7t Chinese President Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong pledged to cherish and cement the traditional friendship between the two countries, and boost the healthy and stable development of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. In the joint communiqué, both sides reiterate their commitment to upholding the principle of "four good spirits of long-term stability, facing the future, good neighborly friendship, and comprehensive cooperation" in accordance with the spirit of "good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners". A mature Sino-Vietnamese relationship will help keep the disputes over the South China Sea under control.

The special bonds of friendship between China and Vietnam help make it possible for both sides to handle the maritime dispute in a constructive way. In the joint communiqué, both sides agreed that with similar political systems and development paths, both sides will share a common destiny and benefit greatly from each other's development. No such ideas were expressed in the joint communiqué released during Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China in 2011. This shows that both sides have developed a deeper understanding of Sino-Vietnamese ties.

Both sides can handle the maritime disputes through various levels of communication including contacts between governments. The Communist Party of China and the CPV have built a reasonable degree of mutual trust and party-to-party communication has become one of the most effective ways to ease tensions and mend ties. Le Hong Anh, special envoy of the General Secretary of the CPV, was invited to visit China by the Central Committee of the CPC in August 2014. This visit helped ease the tensions in the South China Sea and brought the Sino-Vietnamese relationship back on track.

However, there are threats to the joint efforts of China and Vietnam to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea. Robert Thomas, Commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, has suggested that the ASEAN countries should form a combined maritime force to patrol the South China Sea and has promised that the Seventh Fleet will provide support for them. He has welcomed the presence of Japanese air patrols into the South China Sea and encouraged Japan to give support to the Philippines and other countries in equipment, training and operations. Ashton B. Carter, Defense Secretary of the U.S, on his first trip to Asia, criticized China's normal activities in the South China Sea and defined China’s maintenance and construction work on islands and reefs in the South China Sea as military activity.

The U.S. military provokes trouble and plays the role of spoiler in the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea issue. China and other relevant parties should rid themselves of any such interference, handle their maritime disputes constructively, and achieve peaceful resolution of the South China Sea issue through bilateral negotiations and friendly consultations.