Vietnam rejects China’s maritime claims in South China Sea

Vietnam has again turned down the territorial claims over its Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands made recently by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.

Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: MOFA

Vietnam “totally dismisses all statements made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on November 8 on the Spratly Islands which are Vietnamese territorial waters,” Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released Wednesday [November 13].

Last Friday, Shuang told Chinese media that “the core of the South China Sea issue is territory, a matter related to the occupation of China’s Nansha Islands by Vietnam and other countries concerned.

“I hope the Vietnamese side will face up to the historical fact, keep to our high-level consensus and resolve differences through dialogue and consultation. It needs to avoid taking actions that may complicate matters or undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea as well as our bilateral relations,” Shuang said in a press meeting.

Nansha is the name China has been using to make its fraudulent claim to Vietnam’s Truong Sa Archipelago.

Hang noted in the statement that “Vietnam has more than once confirmed that the nation has abundant historical and legal evidence in accordance with international law to assert sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in the sea.”

Vietnam maintains consistent policy on settling all international disputes, including those over sovereignty of the Paracel and Spratly islands, by peaceful means in accordance with international laws and the Charter of the United Nations of 1945, Hang affirmed.

She emphasized that “Vietnam hopes that China contributes to boosting the two nations’ relations and maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.”

In the South China Sea, China’s claims, specifically its vague “nine-dash line”, encircle islands and waters of the sea. China has not clarified through legislation, proclamation, or other official statements the legal basis or nature of its claim associated with the dashed-line map, according to the US-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

Beijing, by sending ships to Vietnam’s waters, is trying to mislead the public some of Vietnam’s maritime areas and islands into China’s through shameless statements and deceitful media.