Vietnamese abroad continue opposing China’s illegal act
The Vietnamese Association in Angola held a meeting in Luanda on May 18 to protest against China’s provocative actions in the East Sea.
The event drew the participation of 200 Vietnamese people and Angolan people who are working for Vietnamese businesses here.
In his speech, Pham Van Duc, Acting President of the association, strongly condemned China ’s illegal act, considering it a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereign right and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
This act ran counter to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed by Southeast Asian countries and China in 2002, he said.
It also violated agreements reached by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders and negatively impacted on the time-honoured friendship between the two peoples.
Duc stated that the Vietnamese community in Angola strongly opposes and requests the Chinese side to immediately stop its provocative and illegal activities and withdraw the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig and escort ships from Vietnam ’s waters, not letting similar actions reoccur in Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the future.
It also calls on China to seriously abide by international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS and the DOC, he added.
Speaking at the meeting, representatives of the Vietnamese community denounced China’s schemes in the East Sea and requested the country to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty.
In response to the association’s appeal, participants raised over 27,000 USD to buy gifts for Vietnamese coast guard soldiers.
The same day, Vietnamese people living in the Republic of Cyprus flooded streets in the capital city of Nicosia to protest China ’s violation of Vietnamese sovereignty.
The peaceful parade was joined by more than 1,000 people, mostly Vietnamese workers and Filipinos in Cyprus.