The leaders of China and Vietnam had “positive” talks about the disputed South China Sea on Thursday with neither side criticising the other, a senior Chinese diplomat said.

Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang (L) and China’s President Xi Jinping attend a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee
BEIJING: The leaders of China and Vietnam had “positive” talks about the disputed South China Sea on Thursday with neither side criticising the other, a senior Chinese diplomat said.
Vietnam is the country most openly at odds with China over the waterway since the Philippines pulled back from confrontation under President Rodrigo Duterte.