China and Viet Nam created a joint committee for land border demarcation in November 2001. The committee was charged with border survey, marker erection and drafting a protocol on border demarcation. The 12 joint working groups under the committee were responsible for on-the-spot surveying and marker erection. In December 2001, the first boundary marker was installed at the Dongxing-Mong Cai border crossing. The two sides reached an agreement on the remaining survey issues on December 31, 2008, accomplishing the goal of completing the land border demarcation and marker erection within 2008 as scheduled.

Apart from disagreements on specific problems, complex topography, harsh natural conditions, inaccessibility and landmines all posed grave challenges. During the eight years, Chinese and Vietnamese participants devoted nearly 1 million working days to the border demarcation program. They held 14 rounds of meetings between the heads of government delegations, 34 rounds of joint committee meetings and 15 rounds of expert group meetings. They planted nearly 2,000 boundary markers. They also applied cutting edge technology, such as geography information systems, global positioning systems and remote sensing, to ensure the accuracy of the demarcation.

Legacy for the future

China and Viet Nam, traditionally friendly neighbors, saw their relations deteriorate last century. Territorial disputes and conflicts in their border region contributed greatly to the tension in their bilateral relations at that time.

It has long been the common aspiration of the two nations to properly resolve their border issue and realize long-term peace and stability in the border region. With the completion of the demarcation of the China-Viet Nam land border, this aspiration has become reality. Chinese and Vietnamese leaders set a higher aim for the two countries' relations in the new era when they agreed to upgrade to a "comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation" in 2008. The successful demarcation of the land border between them exemplifies this partnership and is bound to have major implications for its future development.

The move is also conducive to harmony and development in the border region. Now the China-Viet Nam border, a land border that has the most densely and clearly planted markers, has become a bond for deepening friendly relations and realizing mutual benefit between the two countries. People in the border region benefit the most. Experts have predicted that the region will witness even more frequent people-to-people contacts and more prosperous trade activity in the future. Achieving long-term peace, harmony, prosperity and development in the border region is no longer a dream.

With the settlement of their land border issue, China and Viet Nam have gained experience that they can refer to as they try to address their territorial dispute in the South China Sea. When the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1991, they confronted three major territorial problems: the land border, the demarcation of the Beibu Gulf and the South China Sea dispute. To date, China and Viet Nam have resolved the first two problems through painstaking efforts. The South China Sea dispute, which also involves other Southeast Asian countries and China's Taiwan Province, is the most sensitive and complicated. Its settlement therefore calls for greater wisdom, confidence and determination.

Sharing land borders with 14 countries, China is one of the countries having the largest number of neighbors and the most complicated border disputes. It can also draw on this experience when dealing with outstanding land border disputes with other countries. The settlement of the China-Viet Nam land border dispute not only helps advance the two countries' strategic relations but also promotes regional peace, stability, cooperation and development. It has set an example for other countries embroiled in land border disputes.

The China-Viet Nam land border demarcation program caught the attention of the entire world. In general, it has achieved a win-win result, without putting either side at an advantage or disadvantage. Observers eager to see the development of neighborly ties between China and Viet Nam have all responded positively to the breakthrough the two countries have made in resolving their border issue. However, opposition forces in and outside Viet Nam bent on blaming the Vietnamese Government for "ceding territories" to other countries have criticized its "excessive compromise" with China. Some international observers and media outlets also played up the issue because of the "lack of information" or with ulterior motives. Although they did some harm to the atmosphere in which China and Viet Nam worked together, they did not dampen the two countries' resolve to address their land border issue.