Vietnam, China agree to work on maritime row

Beijing

CHINA and Vietnam have agreed to "address and control" maritime disputes, state media said on Friday, as differences over the potentially energy-rich South China Sea have roiled relations between the two countries and other neighbours.

Ties between the two nations sank to a three-decade low this year after China deployed a US$1 billion oil rig to the disputed waters which straddle key shipping lanes. Vietnam claims the portion of the sea as its exclusive economic zone, and the rig's deployment sparked a wave of bloody clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese workers in Vietnam.

The two countries should "properly address and control maritime differences" to create favourable conditions for bilateral cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Milan.

"Thanks to efforts from both sides, China-Vietnam relations have ridden out the recent rough patch and gradually recovered," Xinhua quoted Mr Li as saying.

The official news agency said Mr Nguyen agreed and endorsed boosting "cooperation in infrastructure, finance and maritime exploration".

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich in deposits of oil and gas resources. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the waters where US$5 trillion of ship-borne goods pass every year. Reuters