Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam requests China to immediately stop sending bombers to conduct drills inVietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, said the Vietnamese ForeignMinistry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.
Hang made the statement inHanoi on May 21 in response to reporters’ question regarding the Chineseexercises, saying China’s dispatch of bombers to conduct take-off and landingdrills in Hoang Sa has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over thearchipelago and run counter to the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guidingthe settlement of sea-relatedissues as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the EastSea (DOC) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China.
China’s acts have also adverselyaffected negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between theASEAN and China, fueled tensions and caused instability in the region, andhampered efforts to maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea,she said.
“Vietnam has full legalfoundation and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over Hoang Sa andTruong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in line with international law,” thespokesperson noted.
Vietnam asks China not toconduct militarisation activities and to seriously respect the country’ssovereignty over the two archipelagoes, observe the Vietnam-China agreement onbasic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues and the DOC, andcreate a favourable environment for the maintenance of regional peace,stability and cooperation, Hang said.-VNA
