China’s maritime claims and recent actions in the East Sea ran counter to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982), according to an expert on the East Sea issue.
Foreign experts have condemned China’s recent actions in the East Sea, saying its moves have escalated tensions in the region and infringed upon international law.
Some 200 people, including soldiers stationed on Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, health workers and artists have performed together in a music video entitled Tu Hao Viet Nam (Proud of Vietnam).
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 23 criticised recent actions of China in the East Sea, including its announcement of the establishment of “Xisha district” (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago) and “Nansha district” (Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago) within the so-called “Sansha city,” and China coast guard vessel's sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat.
China’s circulation of a number of diplomatic notes at the United Nations (UN) that raise unreasonable sovereignty claims over Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos as well as maritime claims in the East Sea runs counter to the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an official said on April 23.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi has voiced his concerns over China’s establishment of districts to administer the Paracel (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago) and Spratly islands (Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago) in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), Japan’s Kyodo News reported.
China’s announcement of the establishment of the so-called “Xisha district” (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago) and “Nansha district” (Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago) within the new “Sansha city” will escalate tensions in the region, a Russian researcher on Vietnamese studies has said.
China’s announcement of the establishment of the so-called “Xisha district” (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago) and “Nansha district" (Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago) under “Sansha city” is “a provocation, illegal under international law,” said Professor Carl Thayer from Australia’s University of New South Wales on April 19.
Vietnam strongly protests the establishment of the so-called “Sansha city” and related acts as they seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, the spokesperson of Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on April 19.
Vietnam has taken correct and timely action on the East Sea issue by sending a diplomatic note to the UN Secretary General to oppose China's claim over the East Sea and assert Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, according to Russian international law researchers and experts.
Life of people on Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago has been improved since national liberation in 1975 thanks to efforts from both the army and people on its islands.
After the victory of the Central Highlands and Hue-Da Nang Campaigns, on April 4, 1975, the Central Military Commission ordered Military Zone 5 and the navy force to liberate islands on Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
Vietnam requests China to respect its sovereignty and take no actions that escalate tensions and complicate the situation, affecting peace and stability in the East Sea and the region, as well as efforts of countries in negotiations of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said.
Vietnam rejects any maritime claims of China that are based on the so-called “nine-dash line” in the East Sea, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang has said.
In 2020, Truong Sa Clubin Germany will continue activities to raise fund supporting soldiers and locals in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, along with communication activities to help foreign friends in Germany and the world get a better understanding of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
As Tet (Lunar New Year) comes near, locals and naval soldiers on Sinh Ton (Sin Cowe) island, Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago gather to make traditional chung cakes.
National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan visited the High Command of Military Region 3 and the Vietnam People’s Navy in the northern city of Hai Phong on December 20.
World
