Sep. 11 (EIRNS)—Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began his current tour of Asian nations in Vietnam, where he co-chaired the meeting of the 13th Steering Committee for Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Friday. It is of note that US VP Kamala Harris, just two weeks ago, visited VIetnam and Singapore, where she ranted against Chinese aggression and pledged US support to confront China. “We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing” she said, “to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims.”
The friendly meetings held by Wang Yi in Hanoi demonstrate the empty rhetoric coming from the US.. Global Times reports that Wang Yi said that “China and Vietnam should avoid taking unilateral actions that would complicate the situation or expand the dispute in the South China Sea, and keep alert to external forces’ interventions and attempts to sow discord between the two countries.”
The two nations agreed to “enhance high-level exchanges and inter-party communications, push forward cooperation on trade and COVID-19 control, and manage differences to avoid risks over the South China Sea,” the Times reported.
Bilateral trade between China and Vietnam increased by 13.8% in 2020. China is the biggest trade partner of Vietnam, while Vietnam is China’s 6th largest trading partner, up from 8th in 2019.
Wang also announced plans to provide 3 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines by year-end, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Global Times reported: “Wang emphasized that China and Vietnam should cherish the hard-won peace and stability in the South China Sea, put the maritime issue to its proper position within the scope of bilateral relations, avoid taking unilateral actions that would complicate the situation or expand the dispute, and keep alert to external forces’ interventions and attempts to sow discord, sending positive signals to the international community that the people of the two countries have the capability and wisdom to manage differences and expand cooperation areas.”
Wang Yi will now proceed to visit Cambodia, Singapore and South Korea.
