HANOI: In a step to resolving long running disputes, China and Vietnam have pledged to turn contentious border areas into economic growth zones and jointly explore oil-rich offshore areas in the future. The communist neighbors—who stress their comradely ties but also have a history of distrust and conflict—reached the agreement during a visit by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Beijing, state media said. Both countries are among claimants to the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, believed to be rich in oil and gas reserves, and claim sovereignty over the Paracel islands, which...
photo: AP Photo / Victoria Calaguian
