Việt Nam demanded China to immediately end illegal activities in the areas of Việt Nam’s Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, to respect the Southeast Asian country’s sovereignty over the archipelagoes and not to carry out any activity that increase tensions and complicate the situation in the region.
The Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng made the request on April 24 in response to reporters’ queries about China’s recent activities in the areas of the two archipelagoes.
“Việt Nam has sufficient legal foundations and historical evidence proving its sovereignty over Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa archipelagos,” she stressed.
China’s recent activities such as the underwater construction by the ship You Lian Tuo 9, the organisation of a sailboat race in the area of Hoàng Sa archipelago, and the installation of new electronic equipment jamming radars on Chữ Thập (Fiery Cross) and Vành Khăn (Mischief) Reefs in Trường Sa archipelago had seriously violated Việt Nam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos, Hằng said.
Such activities went against the agreement on fundamental principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Việt Nam and China as well as the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), complicating the situation and being unbeneficial to peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea, she added
