Vietnam, China working groups hold negotiations on maritime issues: Delegates of Vietnam and China posing for a photo. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Trinh Duc Hai, Deputy Head of the National Boundary Commission under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Chinese side was headed by Yang Renhuo, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

They are the first in-person negotiation rounds of the two working groups since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The two sides reaffirmed each nation's principled stance on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, and exchanged opinions on cooperation for mutual development at sea; and had in-depth discussions on these two issues on the basis of conformity with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They agreed to respect each other's legal and legitimate concerns, strictly implement important common perceptions reached between leaders of the two Parties and States, the "agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China", concertedly promoting discussions on the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and cooperation for mutual development at sea to soon achieve substantive progress.

The two sides also agreed to make efforts to promote cooperation at sea, including the early negotiation and signing of a new agreement on fisheries cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, thus contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and the region, and to the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.