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Lieutenant General,
Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Chi Vinh reconfirmed Vietnam’s defense
policy in a meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on
August 24.
Lieutenant General Vinh led a delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of
Defense to China from August 18-22 to seek China’s support for the ASEAN
Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) scheduled for this October in
Hanoi.
During the visit, the Deputy Minister of Defense met with Chinese
Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and Chinese Army Deputy Chief of the
General Staff Lt. General Ma Xiaotian.
At a reception on August 24th hosted by the Chinese Defense Minister,
Liang Guanglie, Deputy Minister Vinh praised China’s support for the
ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and expressed his hope
that the Vietnamese and Chinese Defense Ministries will step up the
exchange of information and strengthen mutual understanding and trust.
Minister Liang welcomed the ADMM+ and said that he hopes the forthcoming
conference will become a forum for the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and other countries in the regin to deal with
non-traditional security challenges and nurture mutual cooperation and
trust.
Both host and guest discussed Vietnam-China relations, particularly in
defense. Minister Liang proposed boosting cooperation between China and
Vietnam in every field and consolidating bilateral ties to mark the 60th
anniversary of their diplomatic ties.
After the visit, a reporter asked whether Vietnam would become a
military ally with the U.S. The reporter also asked what Vietnam’s
attitude was towards China’s development in defensive capabilities. Vinh
reconfirmed the three pillars of Vietnam’s defense policy: not joining
in any military alliances or becoming a military ally of any country;
not allowing any country to set up military bases in Vietnam; and not
relying on one country to oppose another.
Vinh also said that Vietnam and China are neighbors with good relations.
Vietnam supports China’s development, including in its defensive
capabilities. Vietnam’s support is based on the belief that China will
not use its strength to harm the interests of other countries. Vietnam
believes China will not threaten peace and stability in the region or
throughout the world.
China plays an important role in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting
Plus (ADMM+). It is good for both China and ASEAN if China uses its
defensive strength to take part in search and rescue activities. Vinh
said that relations between Vietnam and China are developing very well.
Exchanges between the two Defense Ministries have been organized
frequently. Vietnamese Minister of Defense Phung Quang Thanh paid a
visit to China last April. Later this year, the two countries will
organize the fourth strategic dialogue on defense, which will be their
first ministerial strategic dialogue.
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