China asked to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa, Truong Sa archipelagos

The statement was made by the Spokesperson of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang at a regular ministry press conference in Hanoi on May 23 in response to reporters’ queries about Vietnam’s reaction to China’s organisation of the seventh Sinan Cup Regatta, a sailing competition, from April 22-26, 2019 at the area of Duy Mong island belonging to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago.

China’s organisation of the seventh Sinan Cup Regatta in Hoang Sa has seriously infringed upon Vietnam’s sovereignty over this archipelago, running counter to the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea issues between Vietnam and China and the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), as well as complicating the situation which is not conducive to the maintenance of peaceful, stable, and cooperative environment in the East Sea, the spokesperson stressed.

“Vietnam asks China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos without repeating the aforesaid activity and conducting others which intensely raise and complicate the situation in the region,” she said.

Regarding the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, the spokesperson said Vietnam calls on the involved parties to strictly and fully comply with relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and promote dialogues to build a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, contributing to peace, security, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Pertaining to the trade dispute between China and the US in recent times, the spokesperson said this is a common concern of the international community as it affects the global trade and economic stability.

Vietnam closely follows the issue and hopes the two countries will resolve the dispute soon through dialogues and negotiations in the spirit of respect, cooperation and mutual understanding, in line with international law and commitments, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and beyond, Hang stressed.