Vietnam has sufficient historical and legal evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Paracel (Hoang Sa) and Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelagoes in the East Sea ( internationally known as South China Sea).

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang 

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement while answering reporters’ query regarding China’s fishing ban in the East Sea from May 1 to August 16 2020.

As an East Sea coastal country and a member of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Vietnamese sovereignty and jurisdiction in its territorial waters is well-established in line with the Convention, with the nation having the right to enjoy other legitimate interests at sea as stated within the Convention, the official said.

The country resolutely rejects China’s unilateral decision to ban fishing in the East Sea. In the current context of a complex international and regional situation, Vietnam requested the Chinese side not to further complicate the situation in the East Sea, the spokesperson added.