China and Viet Nam Monday concluded years of negotiations on the
delimitation of the border rights in Beibu Bay and fishing rights
with the signing of three agreements.
The agreements (The Delimitation of the Territorial Sea, Exclusive
Economic Zone and Continental Shelf of the Two Countries in Beibu
Bay and the Agreement between the two sides on Fishery Co-operation
in Beibu Bay) reflect the sincerity of both sides in promoting good
neighbourly relations and all-round co-operation, President Jiang
said while meeting with visiting Vietnamese President Tran Duc
Luong.
Jiang said that the agreements are of deep historical significance
for long-term stability in Beibu Bay and lasting bilateral
relations and will also contribute to overall world peace and
development .
Beibu Bay is a semi-enclosed bay surrounded by territories
belonging to China and Viet Nam. The negotiations between China and
Viet Nam on border delimitation in Beibu Bay have been going on for
years. Fishermen of the two countries have enjoyed traditional
co-operative relations in Beibu Bay, and the fishing agreement is
an important component of the border delimitations in Beibu
Bay.
Commenting on the future of the development of bilateral relations,
Jiang stressed four points:
First, to develop friendly relations based on the five principles
of peaceful co-existence.
Second, to maintain high-level and multi-level contacts; to enhance
co-operation in regional and international affairs.
Third, to give priority to co-operation in economic and trade
fields.
Fourth, to implement in earnest the agreements on the delimitation
of borders in Beibu Bay and on fishing, and to co-operate in
building the border between the two countries into a peaceful,
friendly and permanently stable one.
Echoing Jiang's remarks, Luong said the agreements set a solid
foundation for all-round co-operation between the two nations.
Luong highly praised the great progress achieved by China after its
opening-up. He said he was sincerely happy to see the rapid rise of
China in the international community.
Luong said Viet Nam will forever remember the precious support and
selfless help during the period of Viet Nam's struggle for national
liberation and its socialist construction.
Luong called for the enhancement of co-operation with China in the
international community, noting that Viet Nam is willing to promote
relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.
On
the Taiwan question, Luong restated the one-China policy, noting
that Viet Nam recognizes that there is but one China in the world,
that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole
legal government representing the whole of China and that Taiwan is
an inalienable part of Chinese territory.
Viet Nam will conduct only unofficial economic exchanges and trade
with Taiwan and will never develop any official relationship with
Taiwan, Luong said.
After the meeting, Jiang and Luong attended the ceremony for the
signing of the joint statement for future co-operation.
The two sides, according to the statement, agreed to boost and
expand co-operation in various areas.
The two sides agreed to step up the promotion of education among
the young people of the two countries and to expand bilateral
co-operation in the areas of economy and trade and science and
technology.
The two sides will strengthen bilateral co-operation and
co-ordination in international and regional multilateral fronts and
carry out multi-level military exchanges in various fields to
enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust.
(China Daily 12/26/2000)