The closing ceremony for offshore field operation of China-Vietnam joint inspection in sea area beyond the mouth of the Beibu Gulf was held in Guangzhou on April 23.

It welcomed back the Fendou V research vessel which carried both Chinese and Vietnamese experts. Officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Land and Resources, and Geological Survey attended the ceremony.

Set up in 2012, the Working Group for the Sea Area beyond the Mouth of the Beibu Gulf is aimed at implementing the Agreement on Basic Principles in Guiding the Settlement of tile Maritime Issue between China and Vietnam according to the consensus between the leaders of two parties and countries.

China and Vietnam agreed on the program for the joint inspection in the sea area beyond the Mouth of the Beibu Gulf after seven rounds of working group consultations and three rounds of technical experts discussion, and officially launched the four-month offshore field operation on Dec 19, 2015.

The successful completion of this field operation fully demonstrates the spirit of handling maritime differences through cooperation of the two sides, which further enhances political mutual trust, and creates a peaceful, friendly and cooperative atmosphere at sea as well as necessary conditions to seek a fundamental and permanent solution to maritime issues.

The sea area beyond the mouth of the Beibu Gulf is rich in natural resources. The two sides will learn more about the sea area through this joint inspection, improve the marine scientific research cooperation, lay a solid foundation for joint development and delimitation of the sea area, and bring tangible benefits for both countries and peoples.

In the future, the two sides will continue to cooperate closely, implement the consensus between the leaders of the two Parties and countries, actively promote joint development and steadily promote the delimitation of the sea area beyond the mouth of the Beibu Gulf.