Listen to the theme song and guess the program

Vietnam is passionate about peace, friendship and development among countries, so frankly speaking, throughout its history, including today, Vietnam has had to deal with unhealthy and improper "border behavior" originating from China. The statements of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson and the Chinese press from the beginning of May this year until the recent visit to Vietnam by Mr. Yang Jiechi - Chinese State Councilor, have all demonstrated that.

Up to now, despite the absurdity, China has insisted that its illegal placement of the Haiyang Shiyou - 981 deep-water drilling rig in Vietnam's waters is a normal activity in its waters. When Vietnamese fishing boats operate in their traditional fishing grounds and coast guard ships carry out their duties, propagandizing and demanding China to stop violating Vietnam's sovereignty rights in Chinese, English, and Vietnamese, they are obstructed, chased, rammed, and damaged by Chinese functional ships; a Chinese iron-hulled fishing boat even sank the Vietnamese fishing boat DNa 90152. Next, China continuously distorts and slanders Vietnam for sending military ships, releasing frogmen, etc. to harass around the Haiyang Shiyou - 981 drilling rig; spreading rumors that Vietnamese ships have rammed their ships more than 1,500 times; even letting functional ships run back close to Vietnamese coast guard ships to accuse Vietnamese ships of ramming their ships. This clumsy drama has been exposed by international journalists. The world does not believe what China says, they care, comment, and judge what China does in the so-called “peaceful rise”.

China advocates the 16-word friendship motto: "Friendly neighbors, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, looking towards the future" and the spirit of 4 goods: "Good neighbors, good friends, good comrades, good partners" in the advantage of "Connected mountains and waters, shared ideals, similar cultures, and shared destinies". We welcome the above policy and at one time called it "16 golden words", because it is so good, why not welcome it! Because "Connected mountains and waters", we really need that spirit of friendship and strive together with China to make it truly friendly in reality. Alas, it turns out that "saying so, but not doing so"! Even during the time when both China and Vietnam have the duty to implement the spirit of 16 words and 4 goods, when fishermen from the central provinces of Vietnam fished in traditional fishing grounds under their country's sovereignty, China chased away, attacked, beat, and arrested Vietnamese fishermen and fishing gear hundreds of times, then forced them to pay ransom for their fishing boats. For the sake of the big picture, our press often just called it "strange ships" that persecuted Vietnamese fishing boats, but the Vietnamese people and the world all know that "stranger" was the one who advocated the "spirit of 16 words and 4 goods".

Next, on May 15, 2011, Chinese coast guard ship number 84 cut the cable of Vietnamese ship Binh Minh 2 while it was on duty in Vietnam's sovereign area, 110 nautical miles from Dai Lanh Cape (Phu Yen). However, on May 31, 2011, the People's Daily Online (China) distorted the truth very cheekily: "Vietnam has aggressive intentions in the East Sea, China cannot continue to restrain itself". On June 9, 2011, Vietnamese oil exploration ship Wiking 2 was attacked by 3 Chinese paramilitary ships, whose cables were cut within 200 nautical miles from the baseline.

On October 12, 2011, the two countries' senior leaders signed an Agreement on basic principles guiding the resolution of Vietnam-China maritime issues. The first principle is: "Taking the overall situation of the two countries' relations as the top priority, starting from the strategic and overall height, under the guidance of the motto "friendly neighbors, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, looking towards the future" and the spirit of "good neighbors, good friends, good comrades, good partners", persistently handling and properly resolving maritime issues through friendly consultations, making the East Sea a sea of ​​peace, friendship, and cooperation, contributing to the development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region".

That is one of the six guiding principles of the two countries' high-level delegations, and even during the days leading up to the signing in Beijing, Vietnamese fishing boats were still being chased and threatened by Chinese authorities in their traditional fishing grounds.

This year, in early May, China used dozens of ships of all kinds, including armed ships escorted by aircraft, to escort the Haiyang Shiyou-981 deep-water drilling rig illegally placed in Vietnam's waters (sea areas over which Vietnam has sovereignty in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS Convention). The whole world knows about this incident. Images of threatening aircraft and Chinese functional ships spraying water cannons, ramming and damaging Vietnamese police ships have not only appeared many times on Vietnamese television screens, but also on television in many countries around the world. The world is concerned about China's lack of respect for international law, which threatens international maritime security. The Vietnamese people strongly oppose China's actions that disregard law and morality. This morality does not sincerely foster the spirit of "16 words", "4 goods" and "Basic principles guiding the resolution of Vietnam-China maritime issues".

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After the trip to Vietnam of Mr. Yang Jiechi - Chinese State Councilor, through BBC news on June 18, 2014, it was learned that Xinhua News Agency (China) reported that the Government and Communist Party of China always attach great importance to the China-Vietnam relationship in the long-term strategic vision and are ready to cooperate with the Government and Communist Party of Vietnam to build a comprehensive, stable and healthy strategic cooperative relationship. Or, regarding the current maritime issue, the two sides need to start from the big picture to maintain the relationship between the two Parties and two countries, avoid expanding, complicating and internationalizing related issues. The above statement does not know whether it goes hand in hand with what China has been doing or not? No need for politicians, but all Vietnamese people can answer with the simple saying "there is no such thing"!

The China Maritime Safety Administration reported that another drilling rig will enter the East Sea. Public opinion sees that while the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig is causing tension in Vietnam's sovereign territory, the appearance of this second deep-water drilling rig is not a coincidence.

The intention to unilaterally assert control over maritime and resource rights in the East Sea through the “cow tongue” line claim is China’s long-term strategy. This strategy is systematic, methodical, and has specific times of manifestation, gradually “twisting the arm” of world public opinion, gradually advancing and retreating depending on the “world political weather”. The policy is to resolve disputes bilaterally, avoiding multilateralism and fearing internationalization of the issue. But in the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig case, China essentially unilaterally made a judgment by blatantly affirming to public opinion that Vietnam and China have no dispute over the Paracel Islands, or Hoang Sa.

In dealing with Vietnam, China's actions have been systematized incompletely only during the time the spirit of "16 words and 4 goods" was born until today (end of June 2014) with melodies sometimes low, sometimes high like a theme song of China's "soft invasion" and "hard invasion" program. Listening to that theme song, we can clearly see the "program" to occupy nearly 80% of the East Sea area, including the sovereign zones of many Southeast Asian countries, including and first of all, the sovereign zone of Vietnam. China uses that as a springboard to realize its dream of dominating Southeast Asia, and certainly will not stop there. Is it true that, for China, the spirit of "16 words and 4 goods" is only to lull Vietnam to sleep?! How can this nation be blinded by actions of saying one thing and doing another, slandering, and fabricating, which are not the qualities of a gentleman. However, Vietnam advocates handling all international disputes today with peaceful solutions. That is the trend of the civilized era, not that the Vietnamese do not understand anything about their cunning, deceitful, and insidious neighbor. The so-called "Common ideals" are half-believing and half-doubting by the Vietnamese. Because when discussing the country's development model, Mr. Deng Xiaoping, the person who ordered the attack on Vietnam in 1979 is also the person who advocated "White cat, black cat, as long as it catches mice", "The more muddy the water, the more fish you catch". Vietnam does not share that ideal!

The information in the Chinese press surrounding Mr. Yang Tiechi's recent trip to Vietnam has given the writer of this article much to think about, at least the following points:

- The Vietnamese and the world wonder, if for the sake of the overall relationship between the two parties and two countries, why is it true that in 1974, China invaded and occupied Hoang Sa, which was administered by the Republic of Vietnam, a provision stated in the 1954 Geneva Agreement, now under the sovereignty of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, but China still brazenly says there is no dispute over the Paracel Islands (ie Hoang Sa)?

- China deliberately uses the Letter of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, a document that has no legal value, because the late Prime Minister did not represent the government of the Republic of South Vietnam. What does this deliberate disregard for international law say about the overall situation of the two parties and two countries?

- How can the Vietnamese people, for the sake of the overall relationship between the two countries, not oppose China's occupation of Hoang Sa as well as the baseless "cow tongue line" that has "licked" the territorial waters of Vietnam and some Southeast Asian countries! The East Sea is a gateway for international maritime trade, and disputes over sovereignty over islands in the East Sea must be resolved in international relations. Why is China afraid of "multilateralism" and only insists on "bilateralism"? Why is China afraid of Vietnam bringing the issue of island disputes to international court?

- How can the dream of turning the East Sea into a private pond, regardless of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, be supported by law and morality? If anything, it only receives criticism, condemnation, and fierce opposition!

Disputes, aggression over sea and island sovereignty, automatic determination of flight zones, and unilateral announcement of fishing bans in disputed waters in the East Sea bring what benefits to the regional situation and Vietnam?

- And, will China's "deep-water drilling rig" violation of Vietnam's sovereignty benefit the overall situation of the two countries?

- If it is for the greater good, then why during the time the incident occurred, Vietnam sent dozens of diplomatic notes but China remained "silent"?

So, who is the one who betrayed the spirit of "16 words and 4 goods"? Answering that question is not difficult. "Listen to the theme song, guess the program" is something that not only any Vietnamese people but also progressive people in the world, including decent, upright Chinese people like scholar - gentleman Ly Linh Hoa can identify.

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Those words for the greater good cannot lull the people of this country to sleep to plot to steal the "magic crossbow" today, which is the strength of the great solidarity of the entire Vietnamese people combined with the strength of the times. The mistake of more than two thousand years ago, when "the magic crossbow was carelessly handed over to the enemy, causing the country to sink into the deep sea" (To Huu) is still a valuable historical lesson reminding us to be alert, vigilant and always take care to cultivate the strength of the great solidarity of the entire nation and international solidarity. Only that strength has enough wisdom and strength to build a strong country, enough strength to protect the Fatherland, because that strength represents the gathering of the people's hearts at the peak. And the people's hearts are the fate of the country. No matter what the circumstances, we must protect the Fatherland according to the truth "Nam quoc son ha nam de cu" (Nam quoc son ha), "Using great righteousness to defeat cruelty, using benevolence to replace violence" (Proclamation of Victory over the Wu); "Fight to let history know that this heroic country of Vietnam has an owner" (Hịch Quang Trung); "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" (Ho Chi Minh).

(According to Dai Doan Ket Newspaper on June 23, 2014)