Chinese fishing vessel fleet heading to the East Sea (Source: Getty) Many other countries such as the US, Japan, the UK andAustralia have also raised their voice expressing concern over China’s deploymentof over 200 ships around Sinh Ton island cluster in Vietnam’s Truong Sa(Spratly) archipelago.
Philippine Department of ForeignAffairs said in a diplomatic protest that the swarming and threatening presenceof the Chinese ships creates an atmosphere of instability and shows that Chinais ignoring its commitments to promoting peace and stability in the region.
In his recent post in Twitter, Japanese Ambassador to the PhilippinesKoshikawa Kazuhiko stated that the East Sea issues are directly related topeace and stability and a concern for all. “Japan strongly opposes any actionthat heightens tensions. We support the enforcement of rule of law in the sea andwork with the int'l community to protect the free, open, and peaceful seas,” headded.
Australian Ambassador to thePhilippines Steven Robinson tweeted that Australia remains concerned aboutdestabilising actions that could provoke escalation in the region. He said thatAustralia supports an Indo-Pacific region which is secure, open and inclusive,and that the South China Sea – a crucial international waterway – is governedby international rules and norms, particularly UNCLOS.
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hangsaid that the operation of the Chinese ships within the territorial waters ofSinh Ton Dong island in the Truong Sa archipelago has violated Vietnam’ssovereignty and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)’sregulations on the operation of foreign vessels in the territorial waters ofcoastal nations, run counter to the spirit and content of the Declaration onthe Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and complicated the situationwhich is unfavourable for the process of negotiations between ASEAN and Chinaon a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC)./.
VNA
