VGP – Viet Nam demands China must immediately end its serious violations and withdraw all its vessels from Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone. 

Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang
at the press briefing in Ha Noi on September 12, 2019. 

Le Thi Thu Hang, Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry made the above statement at a press briefing in Ha Noi on Thursday.

China’s survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8 returned to Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and they have continued serious violations of Viet Nam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Southeast Asian country’s waters as defined by the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Viet Nam had made its point about the negative effects caused by the activities of the Chinese vessel group to the bilateral relations as well as to peace, security and stability in the East Sea and the region, Hang said.

Hang affirmed that Viet Nam has conducted all of its maritime economic activities, including oil and gas exploitation, well within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS to which both Viet Nam and China are signatories.

She emphasized that the UNCLOS is the sole legal basis for nations to identify their waters. This has been followed by nations and is recognized by both international courts and prestigious international lawyers.

No nation can make claims about waters that go beyond what has been regulated by the UNCLOS, the Spokesperson stressed.

All the illegal claims, which are not in accordance with the UNCLOS, can not constitute the basis for asserting the existence of disputed or overlapping waters. All activities interrupting Viet Nam’s oil and gas activities in its waters are violations of international law and the UNCLOS, Hang said.

The Chinese geological survey vessel group returned to Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf on August 13, less than a week after leaving Viet Nam’s waters. 

At a press briefing last month, Hang said this was the serious violation of Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf defined by the provisions of the UNCLOS.

Vietnamese competent forces continued deployment of measures to secure the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in line with international law and Viet Nam’s law, according to Hang

With the determination to protect its legitimate rights and interests and to contribute to peace, stability and security in the region and the world, Hang stated that Viet Nam always stands ready to settle differences through all peaceful measures in accordance with international law.

She went on to say Viet Nam asks relevant parties and the international community to proactively and practically contribute to maintaining order, peace, and security in the region as well as security and freedom of navigation and aviation, and respecting the rule of law in the East Sea in line with the international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS./.