Vietnam and China held the 13th round of negotiations of the working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the 10th round of talks of the working group for consultation on cooperation for mutual development at sea, both in the form of a video conference, on Wednesday.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Nguyen Dang Thang, an official from the National Boundary Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The Chinese side was headed by Yang Renhuo, a representative for border and maritime issues at the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a friendly and constructive atmosphere, the two sides exchanged opinions about the two working groups’ activities.

On the basis of the agreed road map, both sides will push ahead with negotiations on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and cooperation for mutual development in the East Vietnam Sea in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They agreed on strict adherence to the common perceptions reached by the countries’ leaders, including the 2011 Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues and directions given by the heads of the government-level negotiation delegations for border and territorial affairs.

The two sides also consented on refraining from conducting acts that can complicate the situation in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.

They agreed to organize the next rounds of negotiations of the two working groups at a suitable time and through a diplomatic channel.

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