Vietnam and Malaysia have upgraded their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to cooperate in the South China Sea.
On the 21st (local time), in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Rum, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (left), and Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, met and shook hands. / Photo by Yonhap News
On the 22nd (local time), according to Bloomberg and the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Vo Lam, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who visited Malaysia, met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the administrative capital Putrajaya the previous day and reached this agreement.
Secretary Vo Lam said at a joint briefing, "The comprehensive strategic partnership will help open a new chapter of cooperation between the two countries for peace and stability." He added, "The two countries have agreed to closely cooperate to maintain peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and to promote the peaceful resolution of disputes."
Secretary Vo Lam emphasized that, according to international law principles such as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), threats or use of force in the South China Sea should be avoided. He also stated that all relevant parties should exercise restraint and avoid activities that could escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability. He urged the prompt adoption of a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to prevent conflicts between countries.
Prime Minister Anwar also said, "The two countries have agreed to explore the possibility of joint efforts in the fisheries sector so that they can truly work based on trust and friendship."
Recently, Vietnam has been rapidly reclaiming land around several reefs in the South China Sea, including building its largest artificial island on the B?c Canada Reef. The Malaysian government opposed this and sent a protest letter to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the two countries have maintained conflicts.
However, this agreement is expected to ease tensions between the two countries. Secretary Vo Lam stated that they also agreed to strengthen economic cooperation by increasing bilateral trade to at least $18 billion annually (approximately 25.3 trillion KRW). This is the first visit by a Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Malaysia in 30 years since 1994.
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