Vietnamese
President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any
armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Quang,
who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent developments in
the contested waters were threatening regional security.
His remarks came as the
defence ministers of the two nations held talks in Beijing, vowing to boost
military cooperation and make contributions to regional peace.
Chinese Defence Minister Chang
Wanquan told his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich that the two nations
could properly deal with their differences, state-run Xinhua reported. Chang
said the two militaries should continue high-level exchanges and cooperation on
multilateral security affairs.
In his remarks, the Vietnamese
president did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China’s
actions.
China claims most of the South
China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting
military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and
the Philippines.
“The South China Sea, located
at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits
to nations in the region, but it is also a vital route to maritime and air
transport of the world,” Quang said.
But “recent worrying
developments” there “have had a negative impact on the security environment of
the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and
overflight”.
“And should we allow
instability to take place, especially in the case of armed conflicts, there
will be neither winners or losers but rather all will lose,” he warned.
Quang was speaking to
diplomats, academics and students at a forum organised by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak
Institute.
Four Southeast Asian states –
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – as well as Taiwan have
competing claims in the sea.
Vietnam has been among the
most vocal critics of China’s blanket territorial claims. In 2014 China moved a
controversial oil rig into contested territory, prompting riots in
Vietnam.
China’s activities in the sea
have also drawn criticism from the United States, which says it seeks to ensure
freedom of navigation in the waterway through which US$5 trillion in annual
global trade passes.
The sea row has also driven a
wedge between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
which has failed to forge a unified front against Beijing’s actions.
Last month the Philippines won a case against China
at an international tribunal in The Hague which rejected Beijing’s claims to
most of the sea.
China boycotted the hearing
and has refused to recognise the ruling. Fidel Ramos, acting as special envoy
of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, travelled to Hong Kong last month to
mend fences with Beijing, meeting his “old friends” that have “links to
President Xi Jinping”.
This article appeared in the
South China Morning Post
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