Vietnam strongly objects to China’s false statement that its Xiang Yang Hong 10 survey vessel was operating legally in the East Vietnam Sea and did not enter the former’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

The ministry released the opposition in response to the fact that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Wang Wenbin falsely claimed in an international press briefing on June 6 that Xiang Yang Hong 10 carried out research activities legitimately and lawfully in waters under China’s jurisdiction.

In response to Reuters’ question about why the Xiang Yang Hong 10 and its escorts left Vietnam’s EEZ after nearly a month of operations that prompted protests from Hanoi, Wang said: “There is no such thing as entering in other countries’ exclusive economic zones.”

In fact, Xiang Yang Hong 10, escorted by a number of other Chinese vessels, illegally entered Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the East Vietnam Sea on May 7. 

At that time, Vietnam denounced the move as an obvious violation of its sovereignty and demanded that China withdraw the research ship and all escort vessels from Vietnamese waters immediately.

In the face of the objection, all the Chinese vessels were reported to leave the Vietnamese sea area on June 5, heading for China’s Hainan Island.

However, at the aforementioned press briefing, Wang falsely stated that China has sovereignty over the ‘Nansha Islands’ and adjacent waters. China uses ‘Nansha Islands’ to refer to Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea.

In reply to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s request for a comment on this issue on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Vietnamese foreign ministry Pham Thu Hang emphasized that “Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to affirm its sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa [Paracel] archipelagos in the East Vietnam Sea.”

She stated that the legal status of Truong Sa as well as the features of this archipelago have been clearly defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982.

“The sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over maritime zones of a state prescribed in the 1982 UNCLOS, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of coastal states, including Vietnam, must be respected,” the spokeswoman stressed.

Every country should demonstrate their responsibility and make contributions to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and the rule of law in sea areas, including the East Vietnam Sea, Hang stated.

In the past, Vietnam’s foreign ministry has repeatedly stated Vietnam's stance against China's illegal activities in the waters under Vietnamese sovereignty in accordance with international law, the spokesperson said.

The ministry has resolutely voiced its objections to all of such violations and asked China to stop violating Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over its waters in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS.

Vietnam’s law enforcement forces are closely keeping a close eye on developments in the East Vietnam Sea and will take measures in accordance with international and national laws to protect Vietnam’s legitimate rights and interests, Hang concluded.

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