She made the statement in response to reporters’ queries about Vietnam’s stance on the statement by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on July 17 about the developments in the East Sea (South China Sea).
Ms. Hang said Chinese geological survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8 recently violated Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the south of the East Sea, which belongs to Vietnam in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both Vietnam and China are members.
Vietnam had contacted the Chinese side many times via different channels and handed over diplomatic notes to protest the violations, she said, adding that Vietnam’s authorities at sea continued adopting proper measures to enforce the nation's sovereignty and jurisdiction in a peaceful manner in line with international law.
"As confirmed by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson on July 16, Vietnam’s consistent stance is to peacefully struggle in line with international law against any violation of its sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over the seas defined in the 1982 UNCLOS," she said.
The official said "maintaining order, peace and security in the East Sea is a common interest of countries both inside and outside the region. Vietnam wants concerned countries and the international community to protect and maintain this joint interest."
