Viet Nam refutes all illegal claims in East Sea

The above statement was made by Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang on Saturday in reply to reporters' query regarding Viet Nam's stance on the statement made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Wang Wenbin on March 14 and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs' declaration on the East Sea issue on March 17.

According to Pham, Viet Nam also has full legal basis and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its territorial waters established in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Regarding claims in the East Sea that are contrary to international law and violate Viet Nam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa as well as Viet Nam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its territorial waters established in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS, Viet Nam's stance has always been clear and consistent, and repeatedly asserted.

Accordingly, Viet Nam resolutely opposes and rejects all of these claims, Pham emphasized.

Viet Nam expects relevant countries to truly respect and comply with the provisions of UNCLOS 1982, and contribute to maintaining peace and stability, and seeking for fundamental and long-term solutions in the East Sea, she added./.