A top Chinese official is scheduled to meet with high ranking Vietnamese officials on Wednesday, the first high-level meeting between the two nations since Beijing's deployment of an oil drilling rig in disputed territories, the Associated Press reported.

Le Hai Binh, Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, announced that China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi will meet with Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Wednesday at the annual bilateral event in Vietnam to discuss the oil rig.

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Relations between the two nations have been strained since China's deployment of an oil rig in the disputed Paracel islands on May 1 that resulted in a deadly anti-Chinese riot in Vietnam.

Since then, both countries have been volleying accusations at each other. Recently, China has claimed that Vietnam has rammed Chinese ships in the disputed waters at least 1,500 times. Vietnam denied the allegations and said that 15 of its fisheries patrol staff and two fishermen have been injured after 36 Vietnamese ships were rammed by the Chinese.

A previous discussion between Minh and Yang concerning the oil rig had occurred early in May in which Minh said that the deployment of the oil rig had violated Vietnam's sovereignty and demanded China to withdraw the equipment. Yang had responded by asking Vietnam to stop harassing the drilling operations in the island, according to Xinhua news.

As to this week's meeting, Binh reiterated to the media that Vietnam has long been interested in conducting peaceful talks with China on how to resolve the territorial disputes.

"As we have affirmed many times, Vietnam has always been patient to look for dialogue with China to peacefully resolve the tension in the East Sea," he said.

"This meeting, therefore, will surely be a channel and an event where the two sides can discuss the issue to find solutions to the current tension."

During Yang's trip, Vietnam announced that he will also be meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and General Secretary of the Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong.

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