Luong Thanh Nghi, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, made the statement in response to questions on January 20 about China’s January 12 announcement of a plan for a 2012 non-fishing season from 12:00 on May 16 to 12:00 on August 1.

Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, according to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), he noted.

Nghi said that China’s fishing ban decision violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and complicates the East Sea situation.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has contacted the Chinese side to express an objection to the decision, he said.