The planning by the Taiwanese side on oil and gas exploration in the sea around the Ba Binh island seriously violates Vietnam ’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, causes tension and complicates the situation in the East Sea .

Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi made the statement in Hanoi on January 10 in response to reporters’ question on Vietnam ’s reaction to the information that Taiwan has announced it will carry out oil and gas exploration around the island which belongs to Vietnam ’s Truong Sa archipelago.

Nghi said Vietnam has complete legal and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Vietnam resolutely protests and demands the Taiwanese side to immediately cancel the above-said illegal plan, he added.

Regarding Vietnam’s opinion on the fact that China and Taiwan recently voiced their concern that once coming into effect, the Law on the Sea of Vietnam may affect the relations with other regional countries, the spokesperson said the adoption of the law is a normal and necessary action of a sovereign coastal state and a member of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He further said the Law on the Sea of Vietnam clearly affirms Vietnam’s policy of peacefully settling the differences in the East Sea on the basis of the international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS and related agreements and mechanisms, contributing to the maintenance of peace, stability, security and cooperation in the East Sea.-VNA