China-Vietnam maritime tensions flare as foreign ministers meeting called off
Cancellation on sidelines of Asean gathering comes after Hanoi pushes for bloc to take tougher stand against Beijing in South China Sea
Strife between Beijing and Hanoi over the South China Sea boiled over on Monday when a scheduled one-on-one meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers was called off.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was due to meet his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh in Manila on the sidelines of a gathering of diplomats from Asean countries.
But a Chinese official said the meeting did not take place.
No reason was given for the cancellation and it was not clear if another meeting would be arranged before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ foreign ministers gathering ended on Tuesday.
The cancellation came hours after Asean foreign ministers endorsed a joint communique expressing concerns over Beijing’s land reclamation and military build-up in the hotly contested waters.
Diplomatic observers and sources said Vietnam, which has competing claims with China over the Paracel and Spratly islands, had emerged as a strong opponent of China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.