China and Vietnam has agreed to further clarify the ownership of greater maritime zones between the two countries as they pledged to start a joint survey in the waters outside the mouth of Beibu Bay.

In a joint statement issued in Beijing on Sunday evening, the two neighbors agreed to steadily push forward talks on demarcation in maritime zones outside the mouth of Beibu Bay, a part of the South China Sea that separates the southern part of China and northern Vietnam.

The two countries agreed to actively embark on negotiations on joint development and to launch a joint survey as soon as possible in these maritime zones.

China and Vietnam sealed agreements on demarcation and fishery cooperation in the Beibu Bay in 2004. This was the first time in history the two had ever signed a legal document on their maritime borders.

According to the China-Vietnam joint statement issued immediately after Vietnam's leader Nong Duc Manh's China visit, the two countries would jointly safeguard stability in the South China Sea as agreed by top level officials of the two countries. They will maintain the negotiation mechanism on maritime issues.

They pledged to stick to peaceful negotiations and seek fundamental and long-term resolutions that could be accepted by both sides.

In the meantime, the two countries agreed to actively study and negotiate the issue of joint development in a bid to find appropriate modes and zones.

China shares common waters with eight neighboring countries. The 2004 China-Vietnam agreement on demarcation in the Beibu Bay produced the first ever maritime border that China settled with its neighbors through negotiation. It fully demonstrated China's sincerity in resolving the issue of maritime borders through peaceful negotiation.

According to the joint statement issued Sunday, China and Vietnam would continue to implement the agreements on demarcation and fishing cooperation in good faith. They agreed to continue a joint inspection on fishing operations, a joint survey of fishery resources and joint navy patrols in common fishing zones in the Beibu Bay.

The also agreed to accelerate the implementation of the framework agreement on oil and natural gas cooperation in agreed zones in the Beibu Bay. They will strive to achieve substantial results in cross-border surveys and the exploration of oil and natural gas deposits.

According to the statement, China and Vietnam will actively carry out fishing, environmental and maritime rescue cooperation and jointly maintain normal order for fishery productions in the Beibu Bay.

They also agreed to conclude demarcation of and erection of mere stones along the full length of their land borders within this year.

They agreed to sign new document on border administration systems so as to turn their land borders into a "link of peace, friendship and cooperation."

China and Vietnam signed an agreement on land borders in 1999 after years of talks since the 1970s.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2008)