Vietnam has required that China pull its survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, Coast Guard vessels, and fishing ships from Vietnamese waters, Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

Hang affirmed that survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, Coast Guard vessels, and fishing ships flying Chinese flags had entered Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the East Vietnam Sea.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies have dialogued with the Chinese side many times and conducted measures in line with international and Vietnamese law to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam.

Vietnam requests that relevant agencies on the Chinese side comply with the common perceptions of the two countries' leaders, immediately stop all violations, and respect Vietnamese sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

The Southeast Asian country also urged the northern neighbor to strictly implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC), maintain peace, cooperation, and development in the maritime area, and contribute to the development of relations between the two countries, the foreign ministry representative added.

The deputy spokeswoman on Thursday also voiced Vietnam’s objection to the China Maritime Safety Administration's placement of three light buoys in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago of Vietnam.

She emphasized that “the installation of the light buoys on some features in Truong Sa without Vietnam’s permission is an infringement of the Vietnamese sovereignty over the archipelago, so the move has no legal value.”

Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over Truong Sa as well as Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos in line with international law, Hang underscored.

Therefore, Vietnam demands that relevant parties not take any action that may complicate the situation but respect Vietnam’s sovereignty, international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the DOC, and maintain peace, stability, and cooperation in the East Vietnam Sea.

The China Maritime Safety Administration under the Chinese Ministry of Transport on Wednesday announced the placement of three light buoys in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago.

The Chinese side claimed the installation of the light buoys is to “ensure safety” for vessels in the area.

China’s act was similar to the move of the Philippines in mid-May.

The Manila administration placed buoys attached with Philippine flags in Vietnam’s Truong Sa.

In response, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at its press conference last Thursday, said Vietnam protests actions that violate Vietnamese sovereignty over the group of islands.

Vietnam always keeps a close watch and has solutions appropriate to international and national law to ensure its legitimate rights and benefits.

Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ delegation of Vietnam, called on countries to 'walk the talk' at the 20th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the DOC in the East Vietnam Sea held in northern Quang Ninh Province last Wednesday.

Countries should translate political commitments on issues in the East Vietnam Sea into specific and appropriate acts, Ho noted, stressing the need to handle issues in the waterway on the basis of international law and the UNCLOS.

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