http://www.bloomberg.com/ John Boudreau
Diep Pham
Vietnam criticized as "untruthful" Chinese state media reports that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc respected his
David Tweed
July 19, 2016 — 9:14 AM BDT Updated on July 19, 2016 — 6:05 PM BDT
Communist neighbor’s position on last week’s landmark South China Sea ruling and was interested in advancing two-way talks on the disputed waterway.
Phuc told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Mongolia last week that he didn’t endorse China’s stance on the international tribunal’s ruling, the Vietnamese government said in a statement late Monday. Phuc reiterated Vietnam’s welcoming of the court’s decision, which found no legal basis for China’s claim to "historic rights" to resources in the area.
Vietnam "declares it refutes untruthful coverage by Chinese media regarding the East Sea issue from the meeting" between Phuc and Li, the government said, using Vietnam’s preferred term for the South China Sea.
The Vietnam rebuke comes as China touts what it says are dozens of international backers for its stance on the South China Sea, as it seeks to show at home it has widespread support after the ruling went against it. It highlights the difficulty for China in walking a line between President Xi Jinping’s “neighborhood diplomacy†and in continuing its assertions to sovereignty -- and its military buildup -- in the waterway. The risk now is China receives further public rebuttals.
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