Vietnam determined to protect sovereignty and legal interests in East Sea

Thứ Sáu, 04/10/2019, 16:19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam on October 3 held a regular press conference in Hanoi. At the meeting, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said that, Vietnam is resolved to protect its sovereignty and legal interests in the East Sea through measures in accordance with international law.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang

In reply to reporters’ queries about the return of Haiyang Dizhi 8 to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and its countermeasures, Hang affirmed the nation’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty while stating that once again, Vietnam demands China to immediately stop its violations, withdraw its survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8 from Vietnam’s territorial waters and not to repeat similar actions.

The spokesperson cited information from Vietnamese competent agencies as saying that the vessel group has continued to expand its operations in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, seriously violating Vietnam’s sovereign right and jurisdiction as defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of which both Vietnam and China are members.

Vietnam vehemently objects to the action and has made contact with the Chinese side, she added.

She also rejected Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang’s statement saying that the Tu Chinh reef, international known as Vanguard Bank belongs to the Chinese side and demanding Vietnam to stop oil and gas exploitation.

The area that China calls “Wan’an” is actually a shoal belonging to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf defined in line with the 1982 UNCLOS, she said.

This is completely not a disputed nor overlapped area because China has no legal international grounds to make a claim on the area. The 1982 UNCLOS and trials in the recent past have clearly affirmed the fact, the official emphasized.

By Linh Bui