The coast guards of Việt Nam and China conduct the joint patrol. — VNA/VNS Photo

HẢI PHÒNG — The coast guards of Việt Nam and China conducted a joint patrol from November 29 to December 1 on the waters adjacent to the demarcation line in the Gulf of Tonkin, contributing to strengthening peace, stability and the rule of law at sea.

This is the second joint patrol this year and the seventh since the Việt Nam-China agreement on fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin expired on June 30, 2020.

The joint patrol stretched across 13 points over a distance of 255.5 nautical miles. A wide range of activities were conducted during the patrol, including discussions on the phone, inspections of fishing boats operating in the waters adjacent to the demarcation line, and educational activities to raise fishermen's awareness and compliance to the law when operating at sea. 

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Coast Guard established some inter-sectoral working groups to monitor Vietnamese fishing boats’ observance of legal regulations and the European Commission (EC)’s recommendations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In his phone talks with the Chinese side to sum up the outcomes of the patrol, Colonel Lương Cao Khải, Vice Commander and Chief of Staff of the Việt Nam Coast Guard Region 1, stressed that the joint patrol is a successful start of the upcoming joint activities between the two coast guard forces in the coming time, including a friendship visit to Guangzhou city by the Vietnam Coast Guard’s CSB 8002 ship, and the 7th meeting of the Việt Nam and China coast guard forces in China.

The two sides shared the hope that they will continue joining hands to maintain peace, security, order and safety at sea, contributing to nurturing the two countries’ traditional friendship, solidarity, cooperation and development in the Gulf of Tonkin. — VNS