VN circulates note to oppose China’s illegal placement of drilling rig

Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Hai Binh

Since May 1^st 2014, China brazenly moved its deep-water drilling rig escorted by over 80 armed and military vessels and many airplanes to the Vietnamese waters and installed the rig at the location which is 80 miles deep into the Vietnamese continental shelf and exclusive economic zone prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

Viet Nam has exercised utmost restraint, showed every gesture of goodwill and exhausted all dialogue channels to communicate with the Chinese authorities of different levels for expressing protest and demanding China to immediately withdraw its drilling rig and armed and military vessels from the Vietnamese waters. Nevertheless, up to now, China has failed to respond to Viet Nam’s legitimate demand. On the contrary, China has been slandering and blaming Viet Nam while continuing to escalate its increasingly dangerous and serious acts of violation.

According to Viet Nam’s competent agencies, up to now, China has deployed as many as 99 vessels together with many aircraft around the Haiyang Shiyou – 981 oil rig.

Mr. Le Hai Binh took the occasion to express Viet Nam's sincere gratitude to countries, individuals and international organizations for voicing concern over China’s serious violations and supporting the legitimate and reasonable demand of Viet Nam.

He also thanked foreign press and media for having reported the China’s wrongdoings in an honest manner./.

By Hai Minh