Chinese and Vietnamese coast guards have completed their first joint patrol in the Beibu Gulf for this year, the China Coast Guard said in an online statement released on Friday.

The joint fleet, comprising Chinese vessels Yongxing and Xisha and Vietnamese coast guard ships 8004 and 8003, conducted patrols along planned routes from Tuesday to Thursday, observing and inspecting operating boats from both countries.

The three-day patrol covered a total of 51.6 hours over 255.5 nautical miles, observing and recording 18 fishing boats in operation. The overall order of maritime production operations was satisfactory, the CCG said in the statement.

The two sides also engaged in joint maritime search and rescue exercises, enhancing the emergency response capabilities of both countries' coast guards, it added.

As a specific measure to implement the important consensus on deepening maritime law enforcement cooperation between the two countries, the joint patrols of the Chinese and Vietnamese coast guards in the Beibu Gulf have served as a model for maritime law enforcement cooperation in the South China Sea.

They have played a constructive role in conserving the fishery resources of the Beibu Gulf, maintaining order in fishery production, combating maritime crime and safeguarding regional security and stability, the CCG noted.