China, Vietnam coast guards wrap up joint Beibu Gulf patrol

Coast guards from China and Vietnam inspect a Vietnamese fishing boat in a common fishing zone in the Beibu Gulf, Nov. 8, 2016. (Xinhua/Bai Guolong)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Vietnamese maritime law enforcement officials have recently wrapped up their 21st joint patrol in the Beibu Gulf waters since 2006.

Two vessels each from the China Coast Guard (CCG) and its Vietnamese counterpart jointly patrolled a distance of 870.8 nautical miles between April 26 and 28, according to the CCG.

The two sides observed and recorded a total of 17 Chinese and 24 Vietnamese fishing boats during the patrol. They also boarded and inspected four fishing ships from both countries.

The patrol, carried out per an established plan and route, has found marine production in the gulf to be in good order generally, the CCG noted.

This is the first such maritime joint patrol since the adoption of China's coast guard law earlier this year, and is of great significance to continuing the good momentum of cooperation between the two countries' coast guards and jointly safeguarding the order of the fishery industry in the Beibu Gulf, the CCG said.