Hanoi authorities are considering creating a new baseline to mark Vietnam’s territory in the Gulf of Tonkin, as reported by Radio Free Asia.
In March, Beijing announced a new baseline for China’s territorial sea in the northern part of the gulf, a move deemed “excessive” by experts. Chinese officials stated that the baseline was established “in accordance” with domestic and international laws.
Two Vietnamese government sources revealed to RFA that “relevant offices” in Hanoi are currently working on a new baseline for the Gulf of Tonkin, also known as Vinh Bac Bo in Vietnamese. However, they did not provide additional details.
Prior to China’s announcement on March 1, 2024, neither country had established any baselines in the gulf, which is called Beibu in Chinese, used to measure the extent of the territorial sea and other maritime zones.
However, in 2000, Hanoi and Beijing signed a Delimitation Agreement to delineate their respective shares of the gulf from the North to the South.
While China’s new baseline is not expected to immediately impact Vietnam’s sovereignty in clearly defined waters, Hanoi is still “definitely concerned by China’s unilateral action,” according to Carlyle Thayer, an emeritus professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry released a statement on March 14 urging Beijing to adhere to the agreements signed in 2000 regarding the delimitation of territorial seas and the UNCLOS (U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea).
Experts have noted that China’s new baseline extends into international waters by an average of 20 to 30 nautical miles, impacting freedom of navigation through the Qiongzhou Strait. This action does not bode well for future negotiations between the two countries.
Vietnam and China are in negotiations for a new fishery cooperation agreement in the Gulf of Tonkin, but China’s recent actions may complicate these efforts.
Legal experts in Vietnam are calling on the government to define maritime zones for better management of resources, including fisheries.
The United States, a proponent of freedom of navigation, has not yet commented on China’s new baseline in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Edited by Mike Firn.