Hanoi Heights
Ren'ai Reef is part of China's Nansha Islands, Nvidia investigates Vietnam, Xi Jinping in Hanoi, CN-VN trade on track, Position Paper on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.
UPDATE: "I need to stress that Ren'ai Reef is part of China's Nansha Islands, and China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Islands, including Ren'ai Reef, and their adjacent waters. This is a fact that has been established in the long course of history and is in compliance with international laws including the Charter of the United Nations," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday at a news conference in Beijing.
Nvidia wishes to establish a base in Vietnam to develop the country's semiconductor industry as it considers the Vietnamese market an important one, the Vietnamese government said, citing the U.S. chipmaker's chief executive.
President Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam has fuelled high expectations that Beijing and Hanoi will further elevate their relationship, boost cooperation in various sectors and strengthen their long-lasting traditional friendship.
President Xi Jinping stated China’s principled position on the current Palestinian-Israeli situation on a number of occasions. He stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and ending the fighting, ensuring that the humanitarian corridors are safe and unimpeded, and preventing the expansion of the conflict.
Philippines' provocative maritime acts slammed
By China Daily
"I need to stress that Ren'ai Reef is part of China's Nansha Islands, and China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Islands, including Ren'ai Reef, and their adjacent waters. This is a fact that has been established in the long course of history and is in compliance with international laws including the Charter of the United Nations," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday at a news conference in Beijing.
She said that China will continue to do what is necessary in accordance with domestic and international laws to resolutely respond to provocative moves that infringe on China's sovereignty, and firmly safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
The spokeswoman made the remarks while commenting on the Philippines' accusations against China after an encounter between Chinese and Philippine vessels near Ren'ai Reef on Sunday.
According to Mao, four Philippine vessels intruded into the waters near Ren'ai Reef on Sunday in an attempt to transport construction materials to the illegally grounded warship at the reef.
The Philippine ships repeatedly tried to sail into lagoons surrounding the reef, disregarding warnings from China Coast Guard vessels and made dangerous maneuvers to ram into the coast guard ships.
The Philippine side's acts have seriously violated China's sovereignty and endangered the safety of Chinese ships and personnel, the spokeswoman said.
"In response, the China Coast Guard took necessary enforcement measures that were professional, restrained, justified and legitimate. The Foreign Ministry has lodged solemn representations and expresses strong protest to the Philippines," she noted.
The Philippines is fully responsible for the several incidents that have occurred recently in the waters off Ren'ai Reef, Mao said.
"The root cause is that the Philippines broke its promise and refused to tow away the illegally grounded warship, and attempted to make large-scale reinforcement to the ship so that it could permanently occupy the reef," the spokeswoman said.
China firmly opposes the Philippines' attempt to occupy Ren'ai Reef and has expressed its solemn position to the Philippines, Mao said.
"However, the Philippine side, in disregard of China's goodwill, good faith and restraint, broke its promise and kept stirring up trouble by infringing on China's sovereignty and making provocative moves in the waters off Ren'ai Reef. It has also been spreading disinformation to hype up the incidents," she said. "This gravely violates international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and seriously infringes on China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."
Huang Xilian, China's ambassador to the Philippines, met on Monday with Theresa Lazaro, undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, and strongly protested the Philippines' recent infringements and provocations in waters surrounding Huangyan Island and Ren'ai Reef.
Chen Xiangmiao, a senior researcher at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said that facing repeated provocations by the Philippines, the Chinese Coast Guard has adopted a relatively restrained and defensive approach, mainly to prevent further escalation of the situation.
"China wants to avoid disrupting the stable situation and positive trends in the South China Sea, and prevent further escalation of maritime disputes between China and the Philippines," he said, adding that the Philippines and external parties such as the United States should not interpret China's restraint as a sign of weakness.
The People's Liberation Army Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Chinese military, said in an editorial published on Monday that China has indisputable sovereignty over islands and reefs in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters.
"It must be pointed out that the Philippines' actions cannot be separated from the instigation and encouragement of external forces. Over the years, thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the situation in the South China Sea has been generally stable," the article said. "However, in order to engage in 'major power competition', certain hegemonic countries have tried every means to stir up trouble, create division and incite confrontation in the region, and even openly endorsed the Philippines' illegal infringement and provocative actions."
The PLA is always on high alert to safeguard national sovereignty and peace and stability in the South China Sea, according to the editorial.
Read more here.
By Reuters
Nvidia wishes to establish a base in Vietnam to develop the country's semiconductor industry as it considers the Vietnamese market an important one, the Vietnamese government said, citing the U.S. chipmaker's chief executive.
In his first visit to the Southeast Asian country, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, said the company viewed Vietnam as its home and affirmed its plans to set up a centre in the country.
"The base will be for attracting talent from around the world to contribute to the development of Vietnam's semiconductor ecosystem and digitalisation," the Vietnamese government statement cited Huang after his meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Nvidia, which has already invested $250 million in Vietnam, is set to discuss cooperation deals on semiconductors with Vietnamese tech companies and authorities in a meeting on Monday, Reuters reported on Friday.
Vietnam, which is home to large chip assembling factories including Intel's (INTC.O) biggest globally, is trying to expand into chip designing and possibly chip-making as trade tensions between the United States and China create opportunities for Vietnam in the industry.
The chipmaker has already partnered with Vietnam's leading tech companies to deploy AI in the cloud, automotive and healthcare industries, a document published by the White House in September showed when Washington upgraded diplomatic relations with Vietnam.
Read more here.
Xi's Vietnam visit set to elevate ties
By China Daily
Friendship and cooperation high on agenda of trip
President Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam has fueled high expectations that Beijing and Hanoi will further elevate their relationship, boost cooperation in various sectors and strengthen their long-lasting traditional friendship.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is set to travel to Hanoi for a two-day visit starting on Tuesday, his first in six years to the Southeast Asian nation.
Xi will be hosted during the visit by Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.
Both nations attach great importance to Xi's visit, and both Beijing and Hanoi believe that the elevation of the relationship to a new level represents a natural and opportune development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.
Nguyen Minh Vu, the permanent deputy foreign minister of Vietnam, said the visit will contribute to deepening bilateral cooperation and long-term relations between the two countries.
The trip, which coincides with the 15th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Vietnam, is expected to be a new milestone in bilateral relations, Vu told Viet Nam News, the English-language newspaper of the official Vietnam News Agency.
Vu said he expects to see substantial cooperation outcomes from the visit and that there will be a spillover effect to all levels, sectors and people of all walks of life.
The visit, along with last year's official visit to China by Nguyen Phu Trong, is expected to continue to create strong motivation and momentum for the two countries' sectors, localities and people to continue to maintain and develop their existing relationship, thereby building a solid and good social foundation for the development of bilateral relations, the Vietnamese diplomat said.
Pham Sao Mai, the ambassador of Vietnam to China, said in an interview that the two nations will further consolidate political mutual trust, actively bolster areas of collaboration and bring bilateral relations to a more substantive and effective stage of development.
The envoy said China has largely resumed commercial flights to and from Vietnam, with approximately 200 round-trip flights per week. The number of Chinese tourist trips to Vietnam reached 1.5 million in the first 11 months of this year.
China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, while Vietnam is China's largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
According to data from Vietnamese authorities, direct investment from China to Vietnam reached $2.69 billion in the first eight months of 2023, making China the second-largest contributor of foreign investment in Vietnam.
Song Qingrun, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University's School of Asian Studies, said the substantial outcomes from the pragmatic cooperation between Beijing and Hanoi have laid a solid foundation for elevating the relationship to a new height.
"A new stage of bilateral ties will help both sides to follow distinctive paths to modernization, enrich the developmental trajectories for other developing nations to achieve modernization and better serve the well-being of the people in both countries," he said.
Xi's visit to Vietnam is important for the Southeast Asian nation's economy, said Nguyen Trung Dung, chairman of Xunhasaba, Vietnam's book export and import agency.
"China and Vietnam have formed long-term cooperation in the economy and we hope that after President Xi comes to Vietnam, the cooperation can be deeper," Dung told China Daily.
Noting that an increasing number of people in Vietnam are interested in Chinese books, Dung said the agency has set up a department for China-related business to import Chinese books and magazines.
In particular, Dung said for the visit, the company is helping, together with its Chinese partners, to organise an exhibition showcasing a series of books by Xi, including Up and Out of Poverty and The Governance of China.
Read more here.
Position Paper of the People’s Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
By PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The current Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused heavy civilian casualties and a serious humanitarian disaster. It is a grave concern of the international community. President Xi Jinping stated China’s principled position on the current Palestinian-Israeli situation on a number of occasions. He stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and ending the fighting, ensuring that the humanitarian corridors are safe and unimpeded, and preventing the expansion of the conflict. He pointed out that the fundamental way out of this lies in the two-state solution, building international consensus for peace, and working toward a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.
Pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council shoulders primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and should thus play an active and constructive role on the question of Palestine. In this connection, China offers the following proposals:
Implementing a comprehensive ceasefire and ending the fighting. Parties to the conflict should truly implement the relevant UNGA and UNSC resolutions and immediately realize a durable and sustained humanitarian truce. Building on UNSC Resolution 2712, the Security Council, in response to the calls of the international community, should explicitly demand a comprehensive ceasefire and end of the fighting, work for deescalation of the conflict, and cool down the situation as soon as possible.
Protecting civilians effectively. The UNSC resolution demands in explicit terms that all parties comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians. It is imperative to stop any violent attacks against civilians and violations of international humanitarian law, and avoid attacks on civilian facilities. The Security Council should further send a clear message on opposing forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population, preventing the displacement of Palestinian civilians, and calling for the release of all civilians and hostages held captive as soon as possible.
Ensuring humanitarian assistance. All relevant parties must, as per requirements of the UNSC resolution, refrain from depriving the civilian population in Gaza of supplies and services indispensable to their survival, set up humanitarian corridors in Gaza to enable rapid, safe, unhindered and sustainable humanitarian access, and avoid a humanitarian disaster of even greater gravity. The Security Council should encourage the international community to ramp up humanitarian assistance, improve the humanitarian situation on the ground, and support the coordinating role of the United Nations as well as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in humanitarian assistance, and prepare the international community for supporting post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza.
Enhancing diplomatic mediation. The Security Council should leverage its role in facilitating peace as mandated in the UN Charter to demand that parties to the conflict exercise restraint to prevent the conflict from widening and uphold peace and stability in the Middle East. The Security Council should value the role of regional countries and organizations, support the good offices of the UN Secretary General and the Secretariat, and encourage countries with influence on parties to the conflict to uphold an objective and just position so as to jointly play a constructive role in deescalating the crisis.
Seeking political settlement. According to relevant UNSC resolutions and international consensus, the fundamental settlement of the question of Palestine lies in the implementation of the two-state solution, restoration of the legitimate national rights of Palestine, and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 border and with east Jerusalem as its capital. The Security Council should help restore the two-state solution. A more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference led and organized by the UN should be held as soon as possible to formulate a concrete timetable and roadmap for the implementation of the two-state solution and facilitate a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. Any arrangement on the future of Gaza must respect the will and independent choice of the Palestinian people, and must not be imposed upon them.
Read more here.