Vietnam protests China's unilateral fishing ban in East Sea

During a press briefing held on April 20, Foreign Ministry's vice spokesperson Doan Khac Viet talked about the China's unilateral fishing ban in East Sea.

Accordingly, vice spokesperson affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance on the “fishing ban” unilaterally and illegally issued by China in the East Sea from May 1 to August 16, at a regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi.

Vietnam requests that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones, and do not complicate the situation, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, he said.

Viet also reiterated that: "The maintenance of security safety, freedom of navigation and upholding the rule of law in the East Sea is closely linked to peace, stability and development operations for common prosperity in the Asia Pacific and the world at large."

Vietnam hopes that all countries and relevant parties will contribute responsibly to this matter, on the basis of compliance with international laws, especially the 1982 UNCLOS, the deputy spokesperson went on.

Regarding the flare-up of conflict in Sudan which has resulted in over 3,000 casualties so far, the deputy spokesperson said according to the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Sudan, there is one citizen with dual Vietnam and Australia citizenship staying in the capital city Khartoum and 16 other Vietnamese citizens who are crewmembers of a ship docking at a port in Sudan.

"All citizens are currently safe. The Embassy of Vietnam is still closely monitoring the development and ready to implement citizen protection measures as necessary," Viet remarked.