Viet Nam protests all violations against sovereignty over Hoang Sa, Truong Sa

Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made the above statement at the ministry's press briefing on July 21 in reply to a reporter's inquiry about Viet Nam's stance on China's military drills conducted in the vicinity of Hoang Sa.

*Earlier on June 23, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said that Viet Nam strongly opposes China's June 19 military drill in Viet Nam's Hoang Sa archipelago and demands that China respect Viet Nam's sovereignty over the archipelago and not repeat such violations.

The Spokeswoman made the above statement in response to a reporter's query about Viet Nam's reaction to the announcement from the Department for Ocean Affairs of Hainan province (China) about a June 19 drill in the waters within 12 nautical miles from Phu Lam (Woody) island belonging to Viet Nam's Hoang Sa archipelago.

The military drill "goes against the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), complicates the situation, is not conducive to the ongoing negotiations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), and does not help maintain a peaceful, stable, and cooperative environment in the East Sea," Le said.

Le emphasized that Viet Nam's stance which has been clearly stated in the diplomatic note No.22/HC-2020 dated March 30, 2020 circulated in the United Nations, in which Viet Nam affirms its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in accordance with international law, as well as its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the waters as provided by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.