The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its great concern over reports that China is preparing infrastructure on Tri Ton Island, part of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea, for the installation of a radar system there.

Foreign ministry deputy spokesman Doan Khac Viet made the statement at a press meeting in Hanoi on Thursday.

“Vietnam is greatly concerned about this information and strongly objects to any activities that violate its sovereignty over Hoang Sa,” Viet stated. 

The deputy spokesperson affirmed that Vietnam will resolutely protect its sovereignty by peaceful means in line with international law, especially the United Nations Charter and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Last Saturday, The Guardian, a British newspaper, cited analysis from the UK-based Chatham House, an institute for international affairs, as saying that China has significantly increased its activities on Tri Ton.

Accordingly, the Chinese military is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on the island, which would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities over the East Vietnam Sea.

“Analysis by Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Tri Ton Island, on the south-west corner of the Paracel archipelago, building what may be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery, as well as the sophisticated radar system,” The Guardian reported.

Similar counter-stealth radars, known as SIAR (synthetic impulse and aperture radar), have also been built illegally on Xu Bi (Subi) Reef, part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Vietnam Sea.

Tri Ton, the nearest island to Vietnam's shore, boasts the largest area among the islands and features in Hoang Sa.

Hoang Sa is an integral part of Vietnam's sovereignty, yet it has been unlawfully occupied by China since 1974.

For many years, the foreign ministry has consistently stated that Vietnam possesses ample historical evidence and a strong legal basis to affirm its sovereignty over both Truong Sa and Hoang Sa.

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