Vietnam affirms its indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi on April 9.

Spokesman Nghi made the statement after the Chinese national news agency (Xinhua) on April 7 said the Coconut Princess cruise ship of the Haixie Hainan Maritime Transport Joint Stock Company began its pilot voyage from Sanya, Hainan, to Da Bac island of the Hoang Sa archipelago on the evening of April 6.

He went on to say, “China’s above-mentioned activity is illegal and seriously violates Vietnam’s sovereignty and goes contrary to the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

“China must immediately stop its activity, strictly abide by DOC and have no further action to complicate the situation in the East Sea,” he concluded.-VNA