US President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton has again raised voice against China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea (SCS) after the Asian giant has continuously harassed neighboring territorial claimants and violated Vietnamese legitimate waters.
A screenshot of J.Bolton's tweet.
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Bolton’s statement came in after Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8 and its escorts returned to Vanguard Bank of the SCS on August 13, in blatant violation of the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as enshrined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
This is not the first time the hawkish security advisor expressed concern over China’s coercive behavior in the key waterway where trillions of dollars in goods pass each year.
On July 20, Bolton tweeted that “China’s coercive behavior towards its Southeast Asian neighbors is counterproductive & threatens regional peace & stability.”
“Respect for sovereignty & freedom of navigation are fundamental to the Indo-Pacific vision shared by US & Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).”
The US Department of State on the same day said it is concerned by reports of China’s interference with oil and gas activities in the SCS, including Vietnam’s long-standing exploration and production activities.
“China’s repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states threaten regional energy security and undermine the free and open Indo-Pacific energy market,” the department’s Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang on August 16 stated that Vietnam had made representations to China, protesting against its repetition of that serious violation, and also demanded that China pull its vessels out of the maritime zones of Vietnam and respect Vietnam’s sovereign rights, jurisdiction and all other lawful and legitimate rights and interests as enshrined under UNCLOS and international law.
“Vietnam resolutely and persistently defends its lawful and legitimate rights and interests. Vietnam calls upon all countries concerned and the international community to make positive contributions to the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea [which is referred to as the SCS in Vietnam], the region and the world,” the spokesperson noted.
She informed that Vietnamese competent authorities continued implementing measures to exercise Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with Vietnamese law and international law.
