Vietnam reacts to Australian aircraft interception by China in East Sea
PSNews - Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang on June 9 chaired the regular press briefing in Hanoi, reacting to Australian military aircraft being intercepted by a Chinese military surveillance plane over the East Sea in the Spratly Islands area of Vietnam.
Speaking at the press briefing, Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang stated that: "Vietnam holds that activities of all countries should be in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which do not increase regional tensions and make practical contributions to maintaining peace, stability, security, order, cooperation and development in the region and the world".
Hang once again reiterated that Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratley) archipelagos, in accordance with international law.
Earlier, Australia’s Defense Department reported that a Chinese fighter jet had intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region known as the East Sea in Vietnam on May 26. It said the Australian aircraft was intercepted during “routine maritime surveillance activity” in international airspace in the region.
The Chinese side later said the Australian military aircraft seriously threatened China’s sovereignty and security and the countermeasures taken by the Chinese military were reasonable and lawful.
