Global Times
April 15, 2022

Wang Yi speaks with Vietnamese FM, vowing won’t let Ukraine-like tragedy happen in the region
By Wang Qi

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on Thursday on the phone, stressing that China and Vietnam, two socialist countries, are ready to strengthen solidarity and will not let a tragedy like Ukraine’s happen in the region.

The two sides also expressed the willingness to further push for progress in maritime delimitation in the sea area outside the mouth of the Beibu Bay and joint development in the South China Sea, which experts said shows the strong partnership between the pair, and their broad consensus on the regional security to counter US’ destabilizing efforts of sowing discord.

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2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

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After the two ministers exchanged views on the Ukraine issue, which has made Asian countries realize that maintaining peace is precious and indulging in bloc confrontation will lead to endless risks, Wang Yi warned the risk of regional tension and antagonism with the US’ pushing of the “Indo-Pacific Strategy.”

Such moves will seriously damage the hard-won peace and development in the region and seriously erode the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, Wang said, noting that the two countries should not let the Cold War mentality resurge in the region and the tragedy like Ukraine’s happen in the region.

The US has been trying to undermine the coordination and cooperation between ASEAN members and China at a deeper economic and security level by taking advantage of the differences between individual countries and China, Li said. “This is a manifestation of the Cold War mentality, which has caused military conflict in Europe.”