After the outbreak of World War II, Japan overtook France in Indochina and sent troops to the island. Japan was defeated by the Allies in August 1945 and left Indochina; France returned to Indochina in 1946. Overall, the Sino-Vietnamese border and fisheries agreements are a promising sign of China`s ability to make substantial compromises on maritime disputes. The agreements have created several precedents that must be remembered and made public. The modesty of the wider applicability of agreements is also necessary. Nevertheless, Chinese leaders and experts, in particular, should be encouraged to review the painstaking process and the salutary outcome of this era of diplomatic compromise, while seeking to stabilize China`s turbulent maritime border and ensure a peaceful rise. Since the rapprochement between China and Vietnam in 1991, Beijing and Hanoi have always tried to trigger their territorial disputes. As a result, the increase in tensions in the South China Sea since 2011 has had only a limited impact on their bilateral partnership, with the two countries continuing to abide by the Gulf of Tonkin agreements signed in December 2000 and their first maritime border in Gulf waters, as well as cooperation in the areas of hydrocarbon exploration and maritime security. This article aims to take stock of the first 16 years of Sino-Vietnamese cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, before examining the possible progress that could be expected in the ongoing negotiations between the two States on the delimitation of the Gulf « mouth » off the Paracel Islands. In 1887, France imposed a colonial system on Vietnam, which it called French Indochina.
The French and Chinese Qing dynasties signed the Sino-French Treaty on partition of the Gulf of Tonkin in 1887. The contract placed the BLV under French control, although it was probably not carried out at the time, as the French had no sovereign intentions towards blV for a long time. With the exception of occasional patrols, neither side expressed interest in annexing the island. Some foreign scholars considered the island to be the territory of China, at least until the 1950s. A recent workshop organized by the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy in Ha Long City, Vietnam, highlighted the importance of maritime delimitation and fisheries cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin. It also served as a platform to discuss the implementation of the agreements and the possibilities of expanding and deepening cooperation in and around the Gulf. Both China and Vietnam recognize the importance of the evolution of the Gulf of Tonkin and consider the agreement on the delimitation of the maritime border in the Gulf as an important achievement in the settlement of disputes between the two countries. Unfortunately, this performance has not yet received the international recognition it deserves. This article will examine some of the reasons why there is no recognition and attention for positive developments in the Gulf of Tonkin. Vietnam and China had concluded negotiations on the delimitation of areas within the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and signed an agreement on delimitation at sea in 2000.