US embassy cable - 04HANOI558

UNCLAS HANOI 000558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV and EAP/CM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, EFIS, CH, VM, PTBS, CVR 
SUBJECT:  VIETNAM AND CHINA SIGN PRELUDE TO FISHING PROTOCOL 
 
Ref:  03 Hanoi 2846 
 
1.  (U)  Summary:  At the conclusion of ministerial talks in 
Hanoi February 24, Vietnam and the PRC signed an agreement 
on the basic contents of a future protocol for fishing 
cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, expected to be signed 
later this year in Beijing.  Vietnam views this protocol as 
essential to reducing the number of conflicts between China 
and Vietnam over fishing in the Gulf, but Vietnam will 
likely end up with a diplomatic plus and a fishing minus. 
End summary. 
 
------------------------------- 
SIGNING OF THE FISHING PROTOCOL 
------------------------------- 
 
2  (SBU)  The Vietnamese Ministry of Fisheries recently 
hosted the eighth round of ministerial-level negotiations on 
fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin in Hanoi.  As the talks 
concluded on February 24, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of 
Fisheries Nguyen Ngoc Hong and PRC Deputy Agriculture 
Minister Qi Jingfa signed an agreement between the two 
ministries on the basic contents of a protocol.  The 
protocol, according to the Deputy Director of the Maritime 
Affairs Department of the MFA's Border Commission, is 
intended to flesh out the fishing agreement that was reached 
in 2000 after seven years of difficult negotiations.  During 
a reception for the Chinese delegation, Deputy Prime 
Minister Vu Khoan praised the common effort that had led the 
negotiations to such a positive outcome. 
 
------------------- 
MORE WORK NECESSARY 
------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) According to the MFA, the final contents of the 
protocol will need to be reviewed during the border talks 
anticipated for later this year in Beijing.  If the two 
governments approve the details, the protocol will then be 
submitted to Vietnam's National Assembly and the PRC's 
National People's Congress for ratification.  The protocol 
is "very likely" to be on the agenda of the National 
Assembly at its November session this year, the MFA 
predicted. 
 
---------------------------- 
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROTOCOL 
---------------------------- 
 
4. (U) In public remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Khoan 
emphasized that the agreement would be extremely important 
for the maintenance of long-term stability in the Gulf of 
Tonkin while helping strengthening trust, friendship, and 
cooperation between people living on its shores as well as 
between the peoples of Vietnam and China.  The protocol will 
serve as a "guidance sub-agreement to implement the fishing 
agreement," according to the MFA.  Once in effect, the 
protocol will provide the basis for the establishment of an 
inter-ministerial committee to oversee fishing activities, 
which will work out issues pertaining to the number of boats 
allowed in each other's waters, how to levy fishing taxes, 
and other bilateral issues (such as fishing boat incidents) 
that might arise.  (Note:  Conflicts over illegal fishing, 
including mutual seizures of fishing vessels and cargos, 
occur several times each year in the Gulf.  See reftel.  End 
note.) 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5. (U) In the list of irritants in the China-Vietnam 
relationship, fishing is near the top due to the recurrent 
disputes and seizures of cargos, crews, and ships by both 
sides.  This agreement is an important step forward in the 
process of hammering out a modus vivendi on the fishing 
issue.  Given the relative size of the fishing fleets (and 
navies), however, Vietnam will likely end up getting the 
short end of the stick -- a relatively small price to pay 
for smoother relations with its powerful neighbor. 
BURGHARDT