VGP – Without Viet Nam’s permission, all actions taken by foreign parties in Vietnamese waters have no legal effect, and constitute encroachments in Vietnamese waters and violations of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: VGP

Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the above statement on Tuesday in response to reporters’ queries on Viet Nam’s reaction to recent developments in the East Sea.

As asserted many times before, Viet Nam has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters in the East Sea as defined in the provisions of the UNCLOS, to which Viet Nam and other East Sea littoral states are signatories, Hang said.

Hang reaffirmed Viet Nam’s consistent position to resolutely and persistently stand against any act infringing upon Viet Nam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in Vietnamese waters established in the provisions of the UNCLOS through peaceful means in accordance with international law and the UNCLOS.

Viet Nam attaches utmost importance to peace, friendship, cooperation and goodwill, and stands ready to settle disputes and differences through peaceful means, Hang affirmed.

On that basis, Viet Nam has implemented a comprehensive range of peaceful measures for addressing issues, and staunchly demanding parties to respect Viet Nam’s waters and Viet Nam’s legitimate rights and interests in its waters and to refrain from acts that would further complicate the situation.

Vietnamese authorities at sea have been exercising Viet Nam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a peaceful and lawful manner to safeguard Vietnamese waters, according to Hang./.