[Vnbiz] China reasserts claim on South China Sea islands, but says it's open to talks with Vietnam

[Tai Phan]

China reasserts claim on South China Sea islands, but says it's open to
talks with Vietnam AP
Posted: 2008-01-24 06:51:34
 BEIJING (AP) - China reasserted its claim of ownership over disputed
islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, but said it willing to negotiate
territorial disputes with Vietnam.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu's statement follows meetings Wednesday
at which the sides announced a consensus to "properly handle their dispute
over the South China Sea," but gave few details.

"We posses indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and the
adjoining waters," Jiang said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

"We have exchanged views with Vietnam on many occasions and agreed to solve
these disputes through negotiations and safeguard peace and stability in the
South China Sea as well as in China-Vietnam relations," she said.

The two countries' competing claims to two island groups, the Paracels and
Spratlys, have in the past led to military confrontation. Hanoi in November
protested Chinese military exercises in the Paracels, calling them a
violation of Vietnamese sovereignty.

The dispute over the Paracels dates back decades, while the Spratlys are
also claimed by several other neighboring countries.

Wednesday's talks were co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, a
senior foreign policy adviser, and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia
Khiem.

Also Thursday, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan met with Nguyen Huy
Hieu, Vietnamese deputy minister of defense, with both "vowing to deepen
ties between the two countries and the two armed forces," according to
China's official Xinhua News Agency.


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distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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