Some Thoughts on the China-Vietnam Border Agreement.

Nguyen Vu Binh (translated by Nguyen Gia Thuong)

During almost for a year, all patriotic Vietnamese without distinction of politic stands were astounded, suffered and angered at the news that the China-Vietnam Agreement had been signed and ratified subreptionally, causing the loss of hundred kilometers square of Vietnam territories fiercely defended by our ancestors. There were many proclamations, many articles, different speeches and explanatory notes concerning this treaty. After the close examination of those articles and documents, and also the reading of protests and petitions of many Vietnamese inside and outside of the country, I have come to worry about and to pose many questions on the China-Vietnam border Treaty. Through analyze and research, I comprehended the problem.

First of all, why there were a great difference between the communiqué of the government and other information on the Border Treaty? According to the government's information, the 227 km square of the disputed lands along the border were carefully divided and well protected based on just principles, China has received 114 km2 and Vietnam 113 km2. But other source of information affirmed that the land superficies that Vietnam had lost reached the number between 720 km2 and 900km2. How do we must understand the problem ? May be one of these two informations is not accurate or completely made up. The response is that both informations were right! Each information had its own way to put down the problem and its own way to explain it. According to the source that Vietnam has lost from 720 km2 to 900 km2 , the subjects of comparison are the present China-Vietnam Border Treaty just being signed and the ancient Border Agreement signed between the French (colonial power) and Manchuria (Ancient China Dinasty). Based on this ancient agreement, the loosing of Vietnam lands might not begin on the day of the new treaty ratification but started long time ago. According to the official announcement of the government of Vietnam, the disputed lands are only the reality taken into comparison during a precise period of time, they might be before and after the war at the China-Vietnam border (1979-1986). Set an example : the famous neck of Nam Quan for sure has been lost to the China's hands long before the border war (of 1979), this fact is only brought to light today (please read " Nam Quan old resentment, Nam Quan today resentment").

One question came to mind : how the territory's loss has taken place? Why the Communist Party of Vietnam has recently signed that Treaty? And why it has only resolved the territory conflict on real fact and in short term ?

The process during which China invaded and conquered lands and territories of Vietnam could be the cumulative result of the lack of awereness and the price to pay for the support and the help from China during the Vietnam War, and at last the costly exchange of those who sacrified the fatherland to buy the power for their own and for their ruling clique. Based on documents cited above, during the Vietnam War, in order to protect the leading headquarter, the (Vietnamese) Communist Party has set up its Secure Zone next to the China -Vietnam border and declared it as the China's territory. Beyond the lack of awereness, we now understand the pressure that China was using with extreme subtlety and intelligence to put the Communist Party of Vietnam in position of sollicitor of support and help of China during the last war.

The signature and the ratification of the last China - Vietnam Border Treaty profoundly bore the personal imprint of Mr Le Kha Phieu, the former General Secretary, the head of the Politburo at that time. With the structure of the collegial leadership, synonym with irresponsibility, the leading head of the Politburo easily use simple subterfuge to resolve the problems of the country at the same time without touching directly to the short-sighted privileges of the rest of Politburo commissioners. And he had attained his goal, but he did not succeed to reach the main objective he desired, the support of the giant of the North to keep him on the seat of General Secretary.

The reason why the present leaders in trying to resolve the conflict of the sea and land territories are limiting themselves on a determined time and space is easy to understand. Normally, these nation leaders must on behalf on the continuity of the nation or at least that of the regime to resolve the border conflict, assuring the sacred supremacy of our fatherland. If our predecessors might commit errors, we should try to repair it and absolutely never ever let loose an inch of land to strangers. Nevertheless, the present leaders have the same frame of mind and attitude which gain all levels of the government that consist in focusing on the sole aera, the sole zone and the sole unity under their command and manage to save them the trouble of being disturbed by any incident that might shake them off from their seat and cloud their way to future promotion. On the other hand, they did not pay any attention to what had happenned before and after the reception while they exchanged with their managerial partner. In other word, alienating themself and sensing a future without prospects, the actual leaders have neither responsibility toward the nation's destiny, nor the statute to represent people's wills. Dragging along with that state of mind, taking no responsibility whatever, the leaders of the Communist Party (of Vietnam) had signed the last border treaty. But one thing that they cannot think of is their responsibility before history, a very great responsibility for they had to bear the error of their predecessors when they put their signature to ratify the China-Vietnam Border Treaty.

When they discovered the signature and the ratification of the China-Vietnam Border Treaty, patriotic Vietnamese reacted vehemently through many means at different levels. We can be proud of these actions that result in preventing momentarily the leaders of the Vietnamese Communist Party to ratify the China-Vietnam Sea Border Treaty.

Considering the whole event, I have a great worry that increasingly grows through the days. The people's reactions before such a great event are very deceptive. A not so small number of people in the country knew about the territory's transfert, but there were only very few active members of the democracy movement proclaim and defended the supremacy of the nation. The indifference reflected the soul of the citizen and revealed their lowest level of patriotism. The fact that thousand hectares of indigo-plants forest in the Upper U-Minh and the Lower U-Minh (in the extreme South of Vietnam) has been completely destroyed by fire not only condemn the mediocre managerial capabilities of the present leaders but also reveal that the citizens would suffer very great loss when they don't pay any attention to the common heritage pertaining to the nation. Being Vietnamese, we must urgently act to maintain the patriotic sense, an indispensable condition of the survival of the nation before it's too late. One of the actions that we must take is to continue to defence our land territory, our sea territory which are all too sacred for all of us.

Hanoi, May 30th 2002
Nguyen Vu Binh

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