(VOVworld) – The world media and international experts have said that China’s deployment of an oilrig and escort ships in Vietnamese waters was a violation of international law, demonstrating its ambition to claim sovereignty in the East Sea. In his article posted on France’s Agoravox webpage, Andre Bouny, President of the International Committee in Support of Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, said China’s claims in the East Sea were illegal and ran counter to international law. He stressed China’s expansionist policy and occupation of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago by force in 1956 and 1974. The article referred to a map published in China in the early 20^th century, which said that China’s southernmost point was Hainan island, which did not include the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes of Vietnam. The author said that it was unimaginable that China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in June 2014 had bidded for 9 oilfields in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. He said that this was not a disputed area according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and that consequently no foreign company had taken part in the bidding. He also posted a number of images indicating that the Vietnamese State had established and exercised consistent sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes for a long time.