China and Vietnam have agreed to avoid the use of force and will address maritime disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful and friendly negotiations, media reported Monday.
At a meeting between Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh on Sunday in Vietnam's capital city Hanoi, they agreed that their armed forces must act in a "composed and assertive" manner without using or threatening to use violence against each other, Vietnam's Tuoi Tre News reported.
On maritime disputes in the South China Sea, they agreed to settle the disputes through peaceful and friendly negotiations, and that resolving disputes must be consistent with legal models and principles specified in international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to Tuoi Tre News.
"Negotiations and high-level communication between the two nations is essential to avoid any tension or accidental violence in the South China Sea. A consensus from top military departments is the key to safeguarding peace in the region, as both nations are ruled by the Communist Party, which requires the absolute loyalty of their army," Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.
In February, Vietnam protested against China for "seriously violating" its sovereignty for deploying an advanced missile system on a South China Sea island, Reuters reported. China insists the deployment is justified and lawful as China has indisputable sovereignty over the region, and that the facilities have existed for years.
Defense or military cooperation shows a high degree of political trust between China and Vietnam, and is significant especially following the re-election of Vietnam Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong amid some disagreement, according to Gu.
The Chinese defense minister also met with Trong on Sunday, and Trong gave a high appraisal of the cooperation and exchanges between the two armies.
Chang is on a visit to Vietnam lasting from Sunday to Thursday.