China’s illegal construction and use of facilities on Truong Sa (Spratly), and the arrangement of tour packages to Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos in the East Vietnam Sea both seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, the Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Those illicit activities that have been continuously deployed by China should both be ended, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh told reporters in Hanoi, following requests to comment the information from Chinese media over China’s construction on and plans related to the two archipelagos.

Binh added that such activities cannot change the fact that Vietnam has sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos.

China’s state-run shipping company COSCO has recently announced it plans to take tourists to Hoang Sa, following such illegal activities as building and operating numerous facilities on Truong Sa, including a hospital on the Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) Reef and a farm on Xubi (Subi) Reef.

“Either illegal construction and use of facilities on Truong Sa or the arrangement of tours to Hoang Sa carried out by China seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, and Vietnam strongly objects to these activities,” Binh was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying.

The foreign ministry spokesman underlined that Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, and the country has repeatedly expressed its clear and consistent stance on the subject.

“Vietnam requests China to respect the country’s sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, to immediately put an end to these violations without similar repetition in the future, and to stringently comply with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), practically contributing to maintaining peace and security in the East Sea,” Binh pressed.

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