Beijing, Hanoi should not magnify South China Sea rows: Wang Yi

SHANGHAI • China and Vietnam should refrain from unilateral actions regarding the South China Sea that could complicate the situation and magnify disputes, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi told a Vietnamese official.

State Councillor Wang was speaking with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh during a visit to Vietnam, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

China says it has historical sovereignty over most of the waterway, but its neighbours and the US say that claim has no basis in international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which China is a signatory.

Mr Wang said the two countries should cherish the hard-won peace and stability achieved in the South China Sea and be vigilant to resist the intervention of extraterritorial forces, the ministry's statement said.

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said in a statement that it was important the two countries respect each other's legitimate rights and interests.

The two sides agreed to continue to adhere to high-level common perceptions, avoid complicating situations or expanding disputes and jointly maintain peace and stability in the disputed waters, the statement added.

REUTERS