Vietnam
Refuting the untruthful information by Chinese media on East Sea
On July 18, the Vietnam News Agency was empowered to declare refuting untruthful information by the Chinese press concerning the East Sea issue which was discussed during the meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on July 14.
On July 14, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc had bilateral meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia
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In fact, PM Phuc asked both sides to seriously realise agreements and common perceptions by senior leaders, including the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea between Vietnam and China signed by Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in October 2011. He said it is meant to promote mechanisms of negotiating sea-related issues, manage differences at sea, avoid further complicating the situation, and fully and effectively realise the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea as well as reach a Code a Conduct (COC) in the East Sea soon, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also reaffirmed Vietnam’s stance on the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on July 12, 2016 in The Hague, the Netherlands, on the Philippines’ lawsuit against China in the East Sea issue.
Earlier on July 12, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Le Hai Binh said Vietnam welcomes the arbitration tribunal’s issuance of the final ruling on July 12: “Vietnam once again reiterates its consistent stance on this lawsuit as it was fully shown in the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Declaration on December 5, 2014, sent to the arbitration tribunal. In that spirit, Vietnam strongly supports settling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures, including diplomatic and legal processes without the use or threat to use force, as in line with regulations of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, maintaining peace and stability in the region, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight over the East Sea, and respecting the law-abiding principle in seas and oceans.
On this occasion, Vietnam once again affirms its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, the sovereignty over internal waters and territorial waters, the sovereign right and jurisdiction over Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as defined in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vietnam upholds all of its legitimate rights and interests regarding the geographical structures belonging to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.”
