While still being seriously hit by the Covid 19 pandemic and far away from having overcome its consequences, China continues to intensify its territorial disputes with neighboring countries in the East Sea.
| A Vietnamese soldier stands watch overlooking the South China Sea. Photo: Facebook |
A Chinese vessel on April 2 deliberately rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat and China’s Marine Surveillance force detained Vietnamese fishermen onboard while they were fishing off Woody (Phu Lam) Island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands) in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.
China sent two diplomatic notes to the United Nations (UN) in response to Malaysia and to the Philippines. In these two papers, China illegally claimed that It has sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands and adjacent waters, sovereignty and jurisdiction rights over relevant sea areas, seabeds and subsoil.
China's both aggressive actions and unfounded arguments regarding its so-called sovereignty over these two islands are not new. They have often been used by China to fuel its territorial disputes with other countries bordering the East Sea. Once again they demonstrated that China is always determined to ignore and trample on international law; historical and legal facts and evidence that prove and confirm that China has absolutely no sovereignty rights in the East Sea. Vietnam has already condemned China's recent aggressive acts in the East Sea and rejected this country's shameless moves at the UN.
It should be noted that China carried out these actions at the moment when the world's attention and undertakings are focused on the common fight against the Covid 19 pandemic. China's well-known strategy of maintaining and aggravating its territorial conflict is to create fait accompli. It is vile to behave like this in the contemporary time and therefore much more malicious in time like the present.
In recent days and weeks, China has tried very actively to beautify its face and repair its reputation in the world which were already damaged by the way this country deals with the pandemic during the first days and weeks after the outbreak. China has also made many diplomatic efforts to gain a leading role in the world's fight against the pandemic. And, obviously, China misused the current world situation to aggravate its territorial disputes with other countries in the East Sea region. China's ambitions and intentions, strategies and tactics are extremely damaging and dangerous for the effects of international law, for peace and security, for stability and cooperation in this region.
Vietnam has friendly and cooperative relationships with China but Vietnam would not allow anybody to do anything that violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Disclaimer: The views expressed by Ambassador Tran Duc Mau are of his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Hanoitimes.
