Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has asserted in response to China imposing its illegal fishing ban in the East Vietnam Sea. 

Hang made the statement at a press conference on Friday while replying to reporters’ question about China’s ban on fishing, effective from May 1 to August 16, in the East Vietnam Sea, including the waters of Vietnam.

The sea area subject to the ban includes part of the Gulf of Tonkin and the waters of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago.

“Part of the fishing ban’s scope violates Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa Islands, and Vietnam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Gulf of Tonkin between Vietnam and China that was signed in 2000,” the spokeswoman said.  

Vietnam’s stance on China’s fishing ban in the East Vietnam Sea is consistent and well established over the past years, the spokeswoman said.

Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over Vietnam’s waters when implementing measures for conserving fisheries resources in the East Vietnam Sea, Hang said.

China should not complicate the situation in the sea area, but should contribute to maintaining peace, stability, and order there, added the spokesperson.

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