Viet Nam’s submission on extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles is appropriate with UNCLOS

Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made the above statement in Ha Noi on July 18 following Viet Nam's submission on the limits of the extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in respect of the central area of the East Sea.

The relevant countries have acknowledged and voiced respect for Viet Nam's right to submission on the limits of the extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in respect of the central area of the East Sea, which is carried out in accordance with Article 76 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The diplomat stressed that Viet Nam's view is clearly stated at the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the submission.

Accordingly, when a coastal state has a continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, the coastal state shall submit relevant information and data to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) for consideration and recommendations on the limits of the extended continental shelf.

The submission will not prejudice matters relating to maritime delimitation between Viet Nam and relevant coastal states on the basis of UNCLOS.

Earlier, on the morning of July 17 (local time), at the UN headquarter in New York, the U.S., Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the UN, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation officially presented the Submission of Viet Nam's extended continental shelf in respect of Central Area of the East Sea to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).

In May 2009, Viet Nam submitted a separate Submission in respect of the North Area of the East Sea and a Joint Submission with Malaysia in respect of the southern part of the East Sea./.