The Ministries of Public Security of both Vietnam and China convened the seventh meeting on crime prevention on February 19 in Hanoi under the co-chair of Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam and his Chinese counterpart Minister Zhao Kezhi.

Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam
gives an opening speech at the event

The meeting marks an important event in bilateral ties and will ultimately help to promote the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries in the fields of national security, crime prevention, along with combat and protection of social order and safety.

The occasion also represents a chance for both sides to evaluate the outcomes of co-operative agreements between the two ministries since the previous meeting which was in Beijing in October, 2018, along with devising measures to promote co-operation ahead to 2022.

Prior to the meeting, the Ministry of Public Security held an official welcoming ceremony for the Chinese delegation led by Minister Zhao.

Over the past two years, building on the foundation of the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two Parties and States, co-operation between the two Public Security Ministries has been strengthened across a variety of fields. This includes the exchange of delegations and information, along with personnel training.

Both sides have also co-ordinated closely to combat a variety of crimes, especially drug-related, high–tech, and economic crimes, whilst working closely together to capture wanted criminals, managing cross-border activities, and contributing to ensuring political security. In addition, efforts to maintain social order and safety in each country, especially along the shared border, have been at the forefront of co-operation activities.

Most notably, competent agencies from both sides have co-operated to crack down on drug-related crimes occurring along the border and at border gates.

Since 2018, four raids have been conducted to bust gangs involved in drug-related crimes, especially trans-national cases, while completing co-ordination mechanisms on joint investigations into crimes involving drugs.

 Vietnamese Minister of Public Security General To Lam and
his Chinese counterpart Minister Zhao Kezhi (R)

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has also assisted the Chinese side in identifying many high-tech crimes involving Chinese nationals operating in Vietnam, as well as arresting and handing over various criminals to Chinese partners.

Vietnamese and Chinese authorities have also collaborated in combating human trafficking cases, especially the trafficking of Vietnamese women to China, whilst also rescuing many Vietnamese victims.

During the meeting, the two ministers reached an agreement on measures to improve collaboration efficiency to protect domestic security in each country and the efficiency of co-operation in crime prevention and control in the future. Indeed, there will be a major focus on crackdowns on trans-national crimes, such as terrorism, high-tech, human trafficking, and drug-related crimes.

The two ministries signed three Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on co-operation to fight high-tech crime, crimes related to telecommunications and Internet networks, and the management of migrants and cross-border activities

The eighth meeting is scheduled to be held in China in 2022.