Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang stated Vietnam’s fierce opposition to the ban during a regular press conference on Thursday (May 5) in Hanoi.
Vietnam has sufficient legal foundation and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, as well as legitimate rights over the country’s maritime areas, in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Hang reiterated.
“Vietnam vehemently opposes China’s unilateral ban on fishing as it violates Vietnam’s authority over Hoang Sa archipelago and its legitimate rights and interests regarding its seas,” the foreign spokesperson said.
The action goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC) signed by ASEAN and China in 2002, she added.
ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The prohibition does not suit the development trend of the two nations and is not beneficial for the maintenance of regional peace and stability, Hang asserted.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture has recently announced the fishing ban, set to be applied to the East Vietnam Sea, including the Hoang Sa Archipelago, partial Gulf of Tonkin, and Scarborough Shoal, from May 1 to August 16.
Vietnam has sufficient legal foundation and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, as well as legitimate rights over the country’s maritime areas, in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Hang reiterated.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: Pham Hung
|
The action goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea (DOC) signed by ASEAN and China in 2002, she added.
ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The prohibition does not suit the development trend of the two nations and is not beneficial for the maintenance of regional peace and stability, Hang asserted.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture has recently announced the fishing ban, set to be applied to the East Vietnam Sea, including the Hoang Sa Archipelago, partial Gulf of Tonkin, and Scarborough Shoal, from May 1 to August 16.
