Defense ministers from across Asia and as far away as the United States began arriving in Vietnams capital Hanoi today for a regional security meeting that follows a number of clashes on the high seas involving China.
The two-day meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will also bring together U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chinese Gen. Liang Guanglie for military talks — the first between the countries in eight months after China cut off contact to protest a U.S. arms package for Taiwan. The gathering, which starts Monday, comes a month after a spat between China and Japan involving a collision between a Chinese trawler and two Japanese patrol vessels off disputed islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries.
Japan detained the Chinese boat captain, enraging Beijing. He was eventually released, and the two countries officially announced an end to the dispute last week, but each continues to claim the territory. Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa planned to meet with his Chinese counterpart in Hanoi, according to Kyodo News agency, in what would be the first military-to-military talks since the incident.
Vietnam last week also accused China of detaining nine of its fishermen last month in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands that are claimed by both countries. Vietnams Foreign Ministry has demanded that the sailors be released, but China says the boat owner must first pay a fine for fishing with explosives, the ministry said.