•  Vietnam hopes to settle East Sea issues peacefully

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement on August 8 in reply to reporters’ questions about Vietnam’s reaction to a report by China’s Xinhua news agency on August 2 that China had conducted a scientific survey in the East Sea. 

According to Xinhua, from June 13-July 30, the China Geological Survey in cooperation with a French unit used the Chinese research vessel Tan Bao Hao to conduct a scientific survey in sea areas stretching from the western part of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago (called “Xisha” in Xinhua’s report) to the northern part of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago (called “Nansha” in Xinhua’s report). 

“Regarding such operations of the vessel Tan Bao Hao, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s representatives met with the Chinese side to voice strong protest against these acts of violating the sovereignty and jurisdictional rights of Vietnam and demand that China immediate cease and refrain from repeating similar acts,” Nga said.