In joint patrols with China, Vietnam steers course between two powers

Chinese and Vietnamese personnel will carry out a joint naval patrol and training exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin this week, extending a practice that has continued despite long-standing competing maritime claims.

They will be conducted in waters off China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, as well as the Gulf of Tonkin, known in China as the Beibu Gulf, the ministry said.

The activities – which Vietnamese reports say will take place on Wednesday and Thursday – are designed to “strengthen bilateral military friendship, deepen cooperation, improve the joint ability to safeguard border and maritime security”, according to the ministry.

The gulf is located off the coasts of northern Vietnam and South China, and has been a regular site for patrols between the two countries, most recently in November. Additionally, China and Vietnam’s coastguards also conducted joint patrols in the gulf last year.

09:23

History, money and military: why the South China Sea is so important to Beijing

The joint patrols reflect continued efforts by Beijing and Hanoi to strengthen security cooperation, despite their ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

South China Morning Post