Asian defence meeting in Hanoi avoids South China Sea disputes

Oct 12, 2010, 5:58 GMT

Hanoi - A meeting of defence ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and eight other countries officially opened Tuesday in Hanoi with calls for greater military cooperation.

The meeting avoided the maritime territorial disputes between China, Vietnam and other countries in the South China Sea, an issue that has overshadowed regional gatherings in recent months.

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said the session reflected 'ASEAN's maturity and full cooperation in a series of areas.'

Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said China's defence development 'was not aimed to challenge or threaten anyone.'

But there were reminders of underlying tensions between the countries.

Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh told reporters on Monday that China had unconditionally released nine Vietnamese fishermen it had detained since September 11 for fishing in waters disputed by China and Vietnam.

Local media immediately reported Thanh's remarks, but most of the articles were subsequently pulled off of the internet.

A source at Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who requested anonymity, said China had asked Vietnam to withhold news of the fishermen's release until after the meeting. The release appeared to represent a diplomatic retreat by China, which had earlier demanded the fishermen pay a fine.

The ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus brings together the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations and China, the US, Japan, South Korea, India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.

On Monday, Liang met with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. It was the first high-level contact between US and Chinese defence officials since Beijing suspended such contacts over US arms sales to Taiwan early this year.

Gates and Liang called for greater defence cooperation and a reduction in tension.

One key regional issue is the desire of Vietnam and several other ASEAN members for multilateral talks over the South China Sea territorial disputes. China insists on bilateral talks with each country that disputes its claims, while the US supports multilateral talks.

Liang on Tuesday congratulated the ministers for not making any strong push toward multilateral talks.

'Practical cooperation within multilateral frameworks does not mean settling all security issues, which is not consistent with the principles of gradualism and taking into account the comfort levels of all parties,' Liang said.

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