Countries need to act responsibly in the East Sea, not complicate the situation, and contribute to preserving peace and security in the waters, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)

Countries need to act responsibly in the East Sea, not complicate the situation, and contribute to preserving peace and security in the waters, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

Hang made the call while responding to questions regarding China placing undersea cables in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, at the ministry’s regular press conference on June 11.

“Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal grounds affirming its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance with international law,” she stressed.

Therefore, any activity relating to the two archipelagoes conducted without Vietnam’s permission are violations of its sovereignty and of no value.

In answer to questions on Vietnam’s response to the US sending a letter to the UN on June 3 protesting China’s claims of sovereignty over the East Sea, Hang highlighted the attention Vietnam has paid to the circulation of documents by many UN member countries during the past expressing their views on the East Sea situation.

The circulation of such documents occurs regularly between UN member countries, she added.

Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issue, covering sovereignty, sovereign rights, and legal maritime rights is clear and consistent and has been repeated many times.

Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal grounds affirming its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes as well as legal rights to its waters as defined in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), she reiterated.

The international community and the UN, she added, attach importance to UN member states’ views that promote and observe international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS./.

VNA