Vietnam and China will have their first high-level contact this week, since China deployed a giant oilrig to a set of disputed islands off Vietnam last month.  It’s going to take place on the sidelines of an annual bi-lateral event in Hanoi.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh will discuss the oilrig that has caused increased tensions.  The drilling site is far south of China’s internationally-recognized nautical boundaries in the Paracel Islands, which the two have long fought over.

“As we have affirmed many times that Vietnam has always been patient to look for dialogues with China to peacefully resolve the tension in the East Sea,” said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh using Hanoi’s preferred term for the South China Sea.  “This meeting, therefore, will surely be a channel and an event the two sides could discuss the issue to find out solutions for the current tension.”

Vietnam has accused China of ramming its ships in the area, and vice versa, although Vietnam has produced lots of video evidence.  China also accused Vietnam of sending divers into the waters to leave obstacles, which Hanoi denies.