Background Briefing:
Vietnam Send High-Level
Military Delegation to China
Carlyle A. Thayer
October 17, 2014
On October 15 at 20:55 GMT the Vietnam People’s Army Online newspaper, Quan
Doi Nhan Dan (http://qdnd.vn/qdndsite/Print.aspx?cul=vi-vn&newsid=326881),
released the dramatic news that General Chang Wanquan, China’s Minister of
Defense, had invited his Vietnamese counterpart, General Phung Quang Thanh, to
visit Beijing from October 16-18.
This news report was placed unobtrusively among other more mundane reports of
activities concerning the Vietnam People’s Army. Nevertheless the importance of
this visit cannot be overstated.
General Thanh’s high-powered delegation comprises eleven senior generals and one
admiral:
• Lt. Gen. Bế Xuân Trường, deputy chief of staff
• Lt. Gen. Lương Cường, deputy director of the General Political Department;
• Lt. Gen. Dương Đức Hòa, commander of Military Region 2;
• Lt. Gen. Phương Minh Hòa, commander of the Air Defense Air Force;
• Lt. Gen. Võ Trọng Việt, commander of the Border Guard;
• Lt. Gen. Phạm Hồng Hương, commander of Military Region 3;
• Admiral Phạm Hoài Nam, deputy commander and deputy chief of staff of the
Navy Command;
• Lt. Gen. Phan Văn Tường, deputy commander Military Region 1;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Văn Hiển, director of the Office of the Ministry of National Defense;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Anh Văn, commander Communications and Information;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Chiến Thắng, director of the External Relations Department of the
Ministry of National Defense; and
• Maj. Gen. Ngô Quang Liên, deputy Minister of National Defense.
According to the report in Quan Doi Nhan Dan, the purpose of the visit was “to
strengthen friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two
armed forces and discuss measures to promote bilateral defense relations to
maintain an environment of peace, stability, friendship and cooperation between
the peoples and armies of the two countries.”
In addition, the visit was also aimed at creating public awareness of issues affecting
international and regional security in each country in order to contribute to the
Thayer Consultancy
ABN # 65 648 097 123
2
development of the comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership between
China and Vietnam.
Specifically, the high-level meeting between Chinese and Vietnamese military
leaders was to reach agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding on direct
technical communication links (hot lines) between the two Defense Ministries. It
should be recalled that during the oilrig crisis earlier in the year (May-July), Vietnam
unsuccessfully sought to activate hot line links with its Chinese counterparts.
The composition of the high-level Vietnamese military delegation reflects
Vietnamese concerns, first expressed by General Thanh at this year’s Shangri-La
Dialogue in Singapore
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2014/10/141016_viet_generals_china)
) in the midst of the oilrig crisis, that both sides should exercise restraint and exert
tight control over forces under their command to prevent incidents from spiralling
out of control.
General Thanh, while expressing concern about the risk of armed incidents,
downplayed in public the significance of the oilrig crisis. He likened it to a family spat
and said such conflicts were normal in any family or nation. In Thanh’s view,
relations with China were developing well and that the territorial dispute was an
exception.
The Vietnamese delegation includes senior commanders of military regions 1, 2 and
3, the Border Guard, the Navy and Air Defense-Air Force that are most likely to
encounter their Chinese counterparts on routine operations. The Vietnamese side
also includes a general responsible for communications.
The heads of the two military delegations, Generals Chang and Thanh, are both
members of their respective party Politburos. And both serve on their highest level
party-military committees, the Military Affairs Committee and Central Military Party
Committee, respectively.
The current high-level bilateral military-to-military discussions are important
because they indicate that both China and Vietnam acknowledge that an accident or
miscalculation between their armed forces could get out of control. Both sides
appear willing to reach an understanding on how to respond to incidents to prevent
their escalation.
During the oilrig crisis Vietnam publicly announced on more than one occasion that it
was keeping its military forces – navy and air force – well away from the area in
dispute. China, on the other hand, deployed People’s Liberation Army Navy ships
with the flotilla sent to protect the mega oilrig and flew military aircraft over the
disputed area. These forces, however, were not engaged directly in the daily
confrontations between Chinese civilian law enforcement agency vessels and their
Vietnamese counterparts.
Vietnam goes into these negotiations with its hand strengthened by the recent
stepping up in defense relations with Japan and India and by the U.S. partial lifting of
its ban on the sale of lethal weapons.
3
Vietnam’s relations with China are an extremely sensitive domestic matter
particularly as a result of the oilrig crisis. Vietnam’s leadership is divided on what
policy to pursue. China’s timely withdrawal of its oilrig in July led to the
postponement of a Vietnam Communist Party Central Committee plenum scheduled
for August.
Party statutes require two Central Committee plenary sessions each year. The results
of the present visit by a high-level military delegation to China will weigh heavily on
deliberations at the next plenum. It is therefore significant that the Vietnamese
delegation includes six generals who are also members of the party’s Central
Committee.
Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam Send High-Level Military Delegation
to China,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, October 17, 2014. All background
briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the
mailing list type UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.
Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.
Vietnam Send High-Level
Military Delegation to China
Carlyle A. Thayer
October 17, 2014
On October 15 at 20:55 GMT the Vietnam People’s Army Online newspaper, Quan
Doi Nhan Dan (http://qdnd.vn/qdndsite/Print.aspx?cul=vi-vn&newsid=326881),
released the dramatic news that General Chang Wanquan, China’s Minister of
Defense, had invited his Vietnamese counterpart, General Phung Quang Thanh, to
visit Beijing from October 16-18.
This news report was placed unobtrusively among other more mundane reports of
activities concerning the Vietnam People’s Army. Nevertheless the importance of
this visit cannot be overstated.
General Thanh’s high-powered delegation comprises eleven senior generals and one
admiral:
• Lt. Gen. Bế Xuân Trường, deputy chief of staff
• Lt. Gen. Lương Cường, deputy director of the General Political Department;
• Lt. Gen. Dương Đức Hòa, commander of Military Region 2;
• Lt. Gen. Phương Minh Hòa, commander of the Air Defense Air Force;
• Lt. Gen. Võ Trọng Việt, commander of the Border Guard;
• Lt. Gen. Phạm Hồng Hương, commander of Military Region 3;
• Admiral Phạm Hoài Nam, deputy commander and deputy chief of staff of the
Navy Command;
• Lt. Gen. Phan Văn Tường, deputy commander Military Region 1;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Văn Hiển, director of the Office of the Ministry of National Defense;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Anh Văn, commander Communications and Information;
• Maj. Gen. Vũ Chiến Thắng, director of the External Relations Department of the
Ministry of National Defense; and
• Maj. Gen. Ngô Quang Liên, deputy Minister of National Defense.
According to the report in Quan Doi Nhan Dan, the purpose of the visit was “to
strengthen friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two
armed forces and discuss measures to promote bilateral defense relations to
maintain an environment of peace, stability, friendship and cooperation between
the peoples and armies of the two countries.”
In addition, the visit was also aimed at creating public awareness of issues affecting
international and regional security in each country in order to contribute to the
Thayer Consultancy
ABN # 65 648 097 123
2
development of the comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership between
China and Vietnam.
Specifically, the high-level meeting between Chinese and Vietnamese military
leaders was to reach agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding on direct
technical communication links (hot lines) between the two Defense Ministries. It
should be recalled that during the oilrig crisis earlier in the year (May-July), Vietnam
unsuccessfully sought to activate hot line links with its Chinese counterparts.
The composition of the high-level Vietnamese military delegation reflects
Vietnamese concerns, first expressed by General Thanh at this year’s Shangri-La
Dialogue in Singapore
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2014/10/141016_viet_generals_china)
) in the midst of the oilrig crisis, that both sides should exercise restraint and exert
tight control over forces under their command to prevent incidents from spiralling
out of control.
General Thanh, while expressing concern about the risk of armed incidents,
downplayed in public the significance of the oilrig crisis. He likened it to a family spat
and said such conflicts were normal in any family or nation. In Thanh’s view,
relations with China were developing well and that the territorial dispute was an
exception.
The Vietnamese delegation includes senior commanders of military regions 1, 2 and
3, the Border Guard, the Navy and Air Defense-Air Force that are most likely to
encounter their Chinese counterparts on routine operations. The Vietnamese side
also includes a general responsible for communications.
The heads of the two military delegations, Generals Chang and Thanh, are both
members of their respective party Politburos. And both serve on their highest level
party-military committees, the Military Affairs Committee and Central Military Party
Committee, respectively.
The current high-level bilateral military-to-military discussions are important
because they indicate that both China and Vietnam acknowledge that an accident or
miscalculation between their armed forces could get out of control. Both sides
appear willing to reach an understanding on how to respond to incidents to prevent
their escalation.
During the oilrig crisis Vietnam publicly announced on more than one occasion that it
was keeping its military forces – navy and air force – well away from the area in
dispute. China, on the other hand, deployed People’s Liberation Army Navy ships
with the flotilla sent to protect the mega oilrig and flew military aircraft over the
disputed area. These forces, however, were not engaged directly in the daily
confrontations between Chinese civilian law enforcement agency vessels and their
Vietnamese counterparts.
Vietnam goes into these negotiations with its hand strengthened by the recent
stepping up in defense relations with Japan and India and by the U.S. partial lifting of
its ban on the sale of lethal weapons.
3
Vietnam’s relations with China are an extremely sensitive domestic matter
particularly as a result of the oilrig crisis. Vietnam’s leadership is divided on what
policy to pursue. China’s timely withdrawal of its oilrig in July led to the
postponement of a Vietnam Communist Party Central Committee plenum scheduled
for August.
Party statutes require two Central Committee plenary sessions each year. The results
of the present visit by a high-level military delegation to China will weigh heavily on
deliberations at the next plenum. It is therefore significant that the Vietnamese
delegation includes six generals who are also members of the party’s Central
Committee.
Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam Send High-Level Military Delegation
to China,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, October 17, 2014. All background
briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the
mailing list type UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.
Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.
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