China warns Vietnam to watch out for outside interference in South China Sea
- Chinese foreign minister’s remarks follow call from US vice-president for Southeast Asian countries to resist Beijing’s ‘bullying’ in disputed waters
- Vietnam is likely to continue its pragmatic balancing act between the two powers, and remain a reliable partner to all, say analysts
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned of interference from regional outsiders, as he urged Vietnam not to “magnify conflicts” in the disputed South China Sea.
Wang’s remarks, made during talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on Friday, came around two weeks after visiting US Vice-President Kamala Harris called on Vietnam to join the US in challenging China’s “bullying”.
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris: China continues to ‘coerce’ and ‘intimidate’ in South China Sea
“[We should] send a positive message to the international community that the people of China and Vietnam have the wisdom to manage conflicts, and further expand areas of cooperation”.
According to Hanoi’s readout, both sides agreed to “effectively control divergence” on the South China Sea. They also raised the issue of trade imbalance and expressed concerns about border trade difficulties related to customs clearing.
Wang announced an additional 3 million Chinese vaccine doses for Vietnam by the end of the year, bringing the total doses promised to 5.7 million.
China’s renewed commitments to Vietnam come against the backdrop of Washington’s attempts to strengthen US ties in the Indo-Pacific region as it aims to counter China’s growing military and economic influence there.
