Vietnam keeps close watch on East Sea developments
VOV.VN - A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on April 8 Vietnam is following with keen interest the latest developments in the Whitsun Reef of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago where China has deployed vessels.
Relevant Vietnamese agencies are closely monitoring the latest developments in the East Sea to protect the country’s sovereignty over its sea and related waters in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang told media workers at a regular press briefing in Hanoi.
In early March China deployed hundreds of fishing vessels to the Whitsun Reef of Vietnam’s Spratly archipelago. The Philippines voiced its opposition to the move, saying these vessels did not catch fish, while the Chinese side explained they were seeking storm shelters. However, these vessels have since stayed there and it is still unknown if the vessels would leave.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang on March 25 reiterated that by deploying the vessels to the waters of the Spratly archipelago, these Chinese vessels had violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), complicated the situation and undermined negotiations of the Code of Conduct (COC) between ASEAN and China.
