Vietnam asks China to respect its sovereignty

Vietnam has demanded that China respect its sovereignty and refrain from wrongful actions so as to make practical contributions to developing the friendship and co-operation between the two countries as well as maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea.

The Chinese side violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi  said while replying to a query on Vietnam's response to the China's recent acts during the ministry's regular press conference in Hanoi yesterday.

Following a series of illegal activities, including building and developing the so-called "Sansha city", China held a flag raising ceremony to mark its National Day on Phu Lam island in the Hoang Sa archipelago on October 1.

Two days later the Chinese navy's Nanhai Fleet held an exercise in the waters of the Hoang Sa archipelago and the week after China opened a meteorological station in the new city.

Earlier, on September 23, the Chinese press reported that China would deploy unmanned aircraft to strengthen the surveillance of the waters, including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

The Chinese actions seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty according to international law and the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China signed in October 2011, Nghi stressed.

They also ran counter to the spirit of the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed between Asean and China in 2002, thus further complicating the East Sea situation, he added.

Agreement

Also at the press conference, Nghi responded to a question about the co-operation agreement between Sudan and South Sudan signed on September 27, saying that Vietnam welcomed the agreement and believed that the document would contribute to boosting the two countries' relations for the common interests of each country's people and for peace and stability in the region.

Vietnam hoped that the two sides would continue negotiations to seek ways to solve all issues on the spirit of mutual understanding, he added.-Asia News Network (October 12, 2012 8:06PM)