VN demands China immediately stop military drills in East Sea
VGP – Viet Nam has lodged solemn protest against China’s plan to carry out military drills from July 5-11 in an area that covers Viet Nam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Sea, said Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh.
Mr. Binh made the statement while answering reporters’ queries on Viet Nam’s reaction to the Chinese Maritime Safety Adminstration’s July 3 announcement of the aforesaid military drills.
Viet Nam demands China respect Viet Nam’s sovereignty, behave in a responsible manner, immediately end actions that threaten maritime security and safety in the East Sea or escalate tensions in the region, the Spokesman said.
China’s plan once again seriously encroaches Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelago, goes against the common perception of the two countries’s senior leaders, he stated.
The spokesman also said that the military drills also violate international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea./.
By Quang Minh
