Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi ThuHang has reaffirmed Vietnam’s sovereignty and legitimate rights over Hoang Sa(Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.
At the ministry’s regular press conference held online onJuly 8, Hang answered reporters’ queries about the information that a research vessel of Sun Yat-sen University (China) will head tothe East Sea, specifically Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago, in October 2021.
As affirmed many times, Vietnam has sufficientlegal basis and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa andTruong Sa archipelagoes as well as legitimate rights over its territorial waters as defined in the 1982United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Hang stated.
She stressed that all exploration, survey and scientificresearch activities in the Hoang Sa archipelago without Vietnam’s permission violate its sovereignty and related rights, and are illegal and valueless.
Regarding women’s participation in Vietnam’s coast guard force, Hangaffirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State always strive to perfect itspolicies and laws to ensure gender equality and empowerment for women, thus creatingfavourable conditions for them to access and take part in aspects of the social life,including improving their role and position in the armed forces.
Vietnam's efforts to ensure gender equality has beenrecognised and highly appreciated by the international community, she said.
According to the spokeswoman, female coast guards in differentpositions have well fulfilled their assigned tasks, helping to realise the Party and State’s political commitment as a responsible member of theinternational community, standing ready to join hands to deal with international issues,maintain an environment of peace, security and stability for the sake ofcooperation and development in the region and the world./.
