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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| China and Vietnam agree borders | China and Vietnam agree borders |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| China and Vietnam have resolved a border dispute 30 years after a war which left tens of thousands dead. | China and Vietnam have resolved a border dispute 30 years after a war which left tens of thousands dead. |
| The two countries announced they had completed the demarcation just hours before a midnight deadline. | The two countries announced they had completed the demarcation just hours before a midnight deadline. |
| Government teams from both sides had worked for years planting stones to mark the line of the frontier which stretches 1,350 km (840 miles). | Government teams from both sides had worked for years planting stones to mark the line of the frontier which stretches 1,350 km (840 miles). |
| China and Vietnam both hailed the agreement, but neither mentioned any progress on a separate maritime row. | China and Vietnam both hailed the agreement, but neither mentioned any progress on a separate maritime row. |
| "The completion of the land border demarcation between China and Vietnam will promote the development of the China-Vietnam strategic partnership," said Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. | "The completion of the land border demarcation between China and Vietnam will promote the development of the China-Vietnam strategic partnership," said Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. |
| Mr Wu said the agreement would also "benefit peace, stability and development" in the region. | Mr Wu said the agreement would also "benefit peace, stability and development" in the region. |
| The BBC's Nga Pham in Hanoi said the last-minute agreement had caught observers by surprise. | The BBC's Nga Pham in Hanoi said the last-minute agreement had caught observers by surprise. |
| Many had believed that there were differences between the two sides that could not be quickly resolved. | Many had believed that there were differences between the two sides that could not be quickly resolved. |
| However, it was not clear whether the two parties had signed any official protocol on the completion of land border demarcation and no map of the newly-defined border was released, says our correspondent. | However, it was not clear whether the two parties had signed any official protocol on the completion of land border demarcation and no map of the newly-defined border was released, says our correspondent. |
| Sensitive issue | Sensitive issue |
| The two neighbours, which normalised relations in 1991, have had an uneasy relationship. | The two neighbours, which normalised relations in 1991, have had an uneasy relationship. |
| China supported the Vietnamese Communists during the Vietnam War, but Vietnam is wary of its huge northern neighbour and the countries have had several confrontations in the past few decades. | China supported the Vietnamese Communists during the Vietnam War, but Vietnam is wary of its huge northern neighbour and the countries have had several confrontations in the past few decades. |
| These include disputes over the Spratly Islands, a strategic string of rocky outcrops in the middle of the South China Sea, to which both countries, as well as several others, have laid claim. | |
| Analysts say border and territory controls have always been highly sensitive issues in Vietnam. | Analysts say border and territory controls have always been highly sensitive issues in Vietnam. |
| Last year, public grievances over China's claims to the Spratlys led to mass anti-Beijing protests in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City. | Last year, public grievances over China's claims to the Spratlys led to mass anti-Beijing protests in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City. |