Vietnam opposes China’s dispatch of navy hospital ship to Paracel islands

The Youai hospital ship of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command was said to recently embark on seven-day voyage to provide medical checkup and treatment services for Chinese soldiers stationed on several entities of the Paracel islands that belong to Vietnam.

Vietnam resolutely objects to any action that hinders or impinges on its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, said Doan Khac Viet, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Vietnam has ample historical evidence and full legal basis to assert its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in line with international law and sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the oceans as stipulated in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said Viet at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on May 23.

The diplomat also expressed Vietnam’s view about China’s recently introduced policy that allows the Chinese Coast Guard to detain foreigners illegally crossing contested borders for up to 30 days without a trial, or even 60 days in more complex cases.

Vietnam always maintain its resoluteness and consistency in protecting its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the country’s waters, and the legitimate rights of Vietnamese citizens in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS and Vietnamese law, he stressed.