(VOVworld) - The Vietnam Bar Federation (VBF) has objected to China’s violation of international law in establishing the so-called Sansha city, which comprises Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

The VBF says Vietnam has full legal and historical grounds for asserting its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. China’s decision to establish the so-called Sansha city infringes Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty over the two archipelagoes and violates basic principles of international law and the United Nations Charter. The VBF also strongly condemns and opposes the invitation of bids for nine lots in the East Sea by the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). These lots are situated within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, approximately 13 nautical miles from Vietnam’s Phu Quy island at the closest point and approximately 60 nautical miles from Vietnam’s shore. The Vietnam Bar Federation demands that China immediately rescind its Sansha city decision and the wrongful invitation for bids, adding that it completely supports the statements of a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on June 21 and 26 concerning these issues. The VBF says China must respect its commitments under the DOC. It also calls on China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to behave in a responsible manner and in line with the UN Charter and international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.