China and Vietnam are set to hold their first high-level ministerial talks under a new '3+3' strategic dialogue platform next week. The meetings will involve foreign, defence, and public security ministers, following images suggesting China has started land reclamation at Antelope Reef. Both nations seek stronger strategic ties despite the Paracels dispute.
China and Vietnam are to hold their first high-level ministerial talks under a new platform next week. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and Defence Minister Dong Jun will be in Vietnam from Sunday to Tuesday to meet their counterparts.
The talks mark the first ministerial meeting of the China-Vietnam “3+3” strategic dialogue on diplomacy, defence and public security, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. The 3+3 format was announced last April, when President Xi Jinping met Vietnamese leader To Lam in Hanoi.
The meetings come after images suggested China had started land reclamation work at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands. China has previously used a similar mechanism—featuring foreign and defence officials—for talks with neighbours such as South Korea and Indonesia.
Despite the Paracels dispute, both countries aim to strengthen strategic ties. Keywords from the report include South China Sea, Paracel Islands, Vietnam, Woody Island and Spratly Islands.
