Senator Ben Cardin told President Truong Tan Sang on May 28 that he will voice the US’s concern about China’s illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s waters at the upcoming Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore.

President Truong Tan Sang (L) welcomed Senator Ben Cardin in Hanoi on May 28.

Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said he will also talk about China’s provocation, including collisions and especially the recent sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat, at the annual forum for defence ministers and officials in Singapore.

Cardin said the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has released a resolution criticising China’s provocative actions which not only violate Vietnam’s sovereignty but also affect peace and stability in the region and the rest of the world.

The US supports Vietnam’s efforts in settling territorial disputes through peaceful measures, he stressed.

According to the Senator, President Barack Obama is taking strategic steps towards elevating the US’s role in Asia and the Pacific by introducing the pivot policy in the region.

The US expects and will work closely with Vietnam to seek new economic cooperation measures between the two countries relating to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and other areas.

Cardin acknowledged Vietnam’s efforts in TPP negotiations, human rights talks, as well as in constitutional and legal reforms.

For his part, President Sang thanked the US Congress, Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, and Cardin himself for voicing strong opposition to China’s illegal oil rig placement.

He expressed hope they will urge parties concerned to seriously and responsibly implement international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and soon reach an agreement on the Code of Conduct (DOC) in the region.

The President said the US side should also raise its voice asking parties concerned to settle disputes through peaceful measures, and reject China’s groundless ‘nine-dash line’ in the East Sea, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

He briefed his guest on Vietnam’s initial progress in economic restructuring to develop a real market economy and meet the requirements of international integration. He also proposed the US early recognise Vietnam’s full market economy status.

Sang said the US’s early lifting of a ban on lethal weapons trade with Vietnam is very important, showing political trust between the two sides.

He noted that human rights are one of the major points in Vietnam’s newly amended Constitution and the country will concretise amendments through corresponding laws. He stressed the importance of the human rights dialogue mechanism to promote mutual understanding.