VN rejects China’s fishing ban in East Sea

VGP – Viet Nam has sufficient legal foundation and historical evidence testifying to its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago as well as the legitimate rights over Vietnam’s sea areas defined as in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

May 05, 2017 8:02 AM GMT+7

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang

Spokesperson Hang made the point at a regular press conference on May 4 in reply to a question on Viet Nam’s viewpoint as China unilaterally issued a ban on fishing in the East Sea from May 1 to August 16.

Viet Nam adamantly opposes and rejects China’s unilateral ban on fishing in the East Sea as it violated Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago, Viet Nam’s rights and legitimate interests in its sea areas, stressed the diplomat.

That action infringed international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and relevant international legal documents, and ran counter to the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed by ASEAN and China in 2002. The fishing ban neither suits the development trend in the two countries’ relations nor benefits peace and stability in the region, Spokesperson Hang underlined./.