Viet Nam, China defence ministers visit border unit, launch joint naval patrol

Chinese Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Dong Jun presided over an official welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese delegation at the Dongxing International Border Gate in China.

The two ministers later visted the Dongxing Border Guard Company in Dongxing city of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, about 5 km from the Dongxing International Border Gate.

At the unit, the officials were briefed on its functions and tasks, toured facilities, planted friendship trees and observed a friendly badminton match between the two militaries. The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence took the occasion to present gifts to officers and soldiers of the company.

The visit highlighted the growing practical cooperation between the two countries' border guard forces. In recent years, the two sides have maintained regular exchanges at all levels, friendship activities, and mechanisms such as hotlines, correspondence and on-site talks. Joint patrols and coordinated control measures in key areas have been conducted regularly, helping enhance mutual trust and cooperation, and maintaining peace and stability along the shared border.

After that, the two ministers attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial dedicated to fallen revolutionary soldiers of Viet Nam and China, located in the China – Viet Nam Friendship Park in Dongxing city.

The memorial honours 29 soldiers from both countries who sacrificed their lives during the joint struggle against French colonialism. This is one of the first institutions for patriotic education in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, serving as a symbol of the longstanding solidarity and friendship between the two peoples.

Later the same morning, at Fangcheng Port in Guangxi, the ministers attended the launch of the 40th joint patrol and a joint training exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin between the Viet Nam People’s Navy and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. They also visited a photo exhibition on previous joint patrols between the two navies.

The joint patrol forms part of a cooperation mechanism established under a 2005 agreement on joint patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin. Since 2006, the two navies have organised 39 joint patrols and multiple at-sea training activities, helping deepen defence cooperation, strengthen friendship and mutual trust, and improve the capacity to respond to maritime security risks.

The two ministers then toured China’s Naval Ship 568 and Viet Nam's Naval Ship 015, and met with their commanders, officers and sailors.

During the joint patrol, the Vietnamese Navy deployed vessels 015 and 012, while the Chinese side dispatched ships 568 and 627. They are scheduled to patrol eight routes covering nine designated points, with a total sailing distance of 247 nautical miles over 28 hours.

The two sides will conduct a range of training activities, including formation manoeuvres, maritime escort, signal light communication, anti-piracy drills (with live fire using light weapons), search and rescue, and damage control.

The joint patrol mechanism has helped maintain security and order in the Gulf of Tonkin, enhance the two navies’ ability to respond to non-traditional security challenges, and strengthen mutual trust and understanding between the naval forces and the two militaries in general, thereby contributing to the Viet Nam – China friendship.