East Sea stability of ‘vital interest’ for Germany, vice chancellor said
November 24, 2014
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel met in Hanoi Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Germany is concerned about recent developments in the South China Sea, the stability of which is of vital interest for the country as well as Europe, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in Vietnam Friday.
The sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, is an important maritime route which transports over 50 percent of world’s sea cargo volume, Gabriel was quoted by the state agency VNA as saying during a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The Vice Chancellor cum Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy is in Vietnam for the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK), which took place in Ho Chi Minh City.