Vietnam, China to hold strategic defence talks

Vietnam and China will hold their fourth strategic defence talks later this year, which will be the first deputy minister level talks on the issue between the two countries.

The statement was made by Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh at a press briefing after his talks with Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and met with Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, during his visit to China from August 22-25.

The visit was to discuss with China the forthcoming ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) which will be held in Hanoi on October 12.

The Vietnamese Deputy Minister also reiterated Vietnam ’s standpoint of having no military alliances, not allowing any country to set up military bases on Vietnamese territory and not relying on any country for combating others.

He stressed that Vietnam and China are good neighbours and the former always supports and is pleased with the latter’s development.

That support originates from Vietnam ’s wish and belief that China will not use its strength to harm any other country or threaten regional and global peace and stability, said Vinh.

China plays a major role in the ADMM+ and if the country uses its military strength in rescue activities, it will be a bonus for the whole region, he added.

The Deputy Minister also noted that the bilateral defence ties have developed well in the recent past and exchanges of senior level delegations take place on a regular basis, especially Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh’s visit to China in April this year.