Demarcation pact a link of peace, friendship, cooperation between China, Vietnam: Chinese Vice FM
THE NEED TO DEMARCATE THE BEIBU GULF The Beibu Gulf, with an area of 128,000 square kilometers, is a gulf enclosed by the land of China and Vietnam and China's Hainan Island, and had never been demarcated, Wang, head of the Chinese delegation of border negotiations with Vietnam, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. China and Vietnam began talks on the demarcation of the Beibu Gulf in the mid-1970s. Since the 1980s, a new maritime order has emerged, he said. China and Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1994 and 1996 respectively, which stipulates that, in addition to 12 nautical miles of territorial water, coastal countries are also entitled to 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Wang said. But the Beibu Gulf, shared by the two countries, is only 180 nautical miles at the widest, meaning that China and Vietnam's claims overlap and a clear borderline needed to be defined through negotiations, he said. The adoption of the exclusive economic zone system has had an impact on traditional fishing rights. As far as the Beibu Gulf is concerned, fishing disputes between China and Vietnam have been on the rise, undermining the interests of fishermen and affecting the smooth development of bilateral ties. Circumstances necessitate a speedy solution by both sides to the demarcation issue and the establishment of a new mechanism of cooperation in fishery, he noted. CHINA'S EVALUATION OF DEMARCATION The demarcation of the Beibu Gulf is an issue of national sovereignty over territory, and the Chinese government and leaders have attached great importance to it, Wang Yi said. On the Chinese side, negotiation teams were set up by relevant government departments and feasibility plans were made following careful study. The Vietnamese side did likewise, Wang said. During negotiations, particularly on essential issues, the two sides worked in accordance with recognized principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and took into account all circumstances in the gulf. Leaders of both countries helped push the negotiation process forward. After long-term, complicated and patient talks that featured fairness, mutual concessions and friendly consultation, the demarcation has been completed. The Beibu Gulf demarcation agreement defines the borderlines of territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf for China and Vietnam. The Chinese side held that both sides maintain balanced geopolitical ties in the Beibu Gulf area. Based on such a view, the two sides achieved a fair result by dividing roughly evenly the sea area between both sides and fairly distributing the fishing resources in the Gulf, Wang said. The agreement represents successful work by both sides in settling the maritime demarcation under a new order of maritime law. It also shows that both sides have the ability and wisdom to resolve lingering issues in bilateral relations, the vice foreign minister said. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China and Vietnamese National Assembly approved the agreement recently, highlighting the fact that the agreement enjoys the understanding and support of both peoples, Wang noted. IMPACT OF DEMARCATION ON UTILIZATION OF BEIBU GULF FISHERY RESOURCES The Beibu Gulf is the traditional fishing ground of the fishermen in China's Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan provinces. Thus its demarcation will have a direct bearing on the fishing resource distribution and the interests of the fishermen, said Wang. Therefore, since the very beginning of the negotiations, the Chinese government had attached great importance to safeguarding the legal rights of the fishermen, he added. China has pointed out that the fishery issue must come abreast with the demarcation and the demarcation agreement must be signed and take effect at the same time with the fishery agreement, he said. A maritime borderline is necessary in the Beibu Gulf, so is the establishment of long-term cooperation between the two sides in fishery in accordance with the new maritime order. Vietnam showed a full understanding of the need. The Beibu Gulf fishery cooperation agreement was signed the same day with the demarcation pact, he noted. After that, Wang said, fishery departments of both sides worked out concrete measures to implement the fishery agreement through three years of negotiations. The two sides marked off relatively large trans-border fishing areas covering most of the high and medium yield fishery ground, which both countries' fishing boats can enter for as long as 15 years. Moreover, a trans-border water area, set as a transitional arrangement for four years, was marked off to the north of the shared fishing area to admit fishing boats from both sides. The agreement also stipulates that the two sides will carry out long-term fishery cooperation in the shared fishing area under the principle of mutual benefit. The two sides agreed to work together to formulate measures to cultivate, protect, manage and utilize in a sustainable way the bio-resources and to protect legal fishing operations. The two sides also agreed to set up a Beibu Gulf fishery association to carry out relevant cooperation matters. All of the above measures would protect in the best possible way the interests of the Beibu Gulf area fishermen, which mark the startup of the new model of Sino-Vietnamese fishery cooperation and serve as a transition to a new maritime legal system. In spite of its richness, the fishery resources in the Beibu Gulf are not infinite and many years' of mass exploitation has influenced resource reproduction. The signing of the agreement would also benefit the sustainable exploitation of the fishery resources in the Gulf. SIGNIFICANCE OF BEIBU GULF DEMARCATION, FISHERY COOPERATION AGREEMENTS The signing of the Beibu Gulf demarcation agreement and fishery cooperation agreement is another important achievement China and Vietnam made in solving historical issues since the two countries inked their land border demarcation agreement in 1999. It serves the common interests of the two countries and their peoples and is conducive to the long stability in the Beibu Gulf area and of great significance to the long-term stable development of the bilateral ties. Demarcating the Beibu Gulf is also a new contribution to peace and stability in the area itself. China's maritime space either neighbors or faces that of eight other countries and all of these areas needs demarcation. The Beibu Gulf demarcation is the first maritime border China demarcated with its neighbors through negotiations. It not only manifested China's sincerity to solve the problem of maritime border demarcation through peaceful negotiations but also increases China's experience in demarcating maritime borders through negotiations with other countries, which would promote the mutual trust between China and its neighboring countries and is beneficial to peace and stability in this area. FOLLOW-UP WORK FOR BOTH SIDES AFTER TWO AGREEMENTS TAKE EFFECT The two sides should first settle on regulations of fishing operations under the new agreements and protect legal fishing operations, said Wang. More publicity work should be conducted to enable administrative departments and fishermen to know the principles and content of the agreements and stick to them, he added. An agreement takes time to be well implemented. New problems may arise at the initial stage of its implementation, Wang said. He said the two sides should solve the problems properly according to the principle of understanding and cooperation and with an eye on working for friendly relations of the two countries. China and Vietnam should avail themselves of this opportunity to build a new maritime border into a bridge of peace, friendship and cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, Wang added. Source: Xinhua | ||
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