(VOVworld) – Facing strong criticism from people worldwide over its provocative acts in the East Sea, China has tried to falsify information to cover the truth. On May 8, the Chinese Foreign Ministry made public a document to rationalize its sovereignty claims over Hoang Sa archipelago and its illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. As in previous cases, China has cut and twisted facts to distort history and fool the public. The document, originally posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website, has been reused by many Chinese media.

A Chinese ship hit and damaged a ship of the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance (photo: The Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance)

The so-called sovereignty argument over Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago and sophistry about the illegal operation of oil rig Haiyang 981 filled just 2 pages. The document neither mentioned China’s using force to occupy Hoang Sa archipelago in 1974 nor the groundless U-shaped line which was criticized by the global community.

Besides its incorrect and unpersuasive arguments, the document tried to defend China’s placement of the oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf and blamed Vietnamese ships for disturbing Chinese enforcement vessels 1416 times. The document did not report on China’s inhumane act of steering a vessel to hit and sink a Vietnamese fishing vessel and not rescue the fishermen.