HANOI, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Vietnam’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that cooperation between countries should comply with international law and contribute to peace and stability, after China and Laos recently established a joint training facility.
• “Vietnam always hopes Laos will develop in a peaceful, independent and self-reliant manner,” foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told a regular press briefing
• Hang said Vietnam believed cooperation among countries should be conducted in accordance with international law, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the principles of the United Nations Charter
• “Such cooperation must at the same time be a positive contribution to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region and the world,” she said
• China and Laos recently established the joint training facility at an airport in Laos, raising regional concerns about the expansion of Beijing’s security ties with Southeast Asian countries
• China’s defence ministry announced in September it had set up the facility at Ban Keun, outside the Laos capital of Vientiane
(Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by David Stanway)
