Vietnam has repeatedly demanded the vessel group withdraw from its EEZ, Martinson said, noting that China has infringed upon Vietnam’s EEZ as defined by international law. The Vanguard Bank entirely belongs to Vietnam’s EEZ and 200-nautical mile continental shelf as defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said. Although China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and there are Chinese judges in some international courts such as the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, China has continuously declined to settle sea and island disputes at international law enforcement agencies and international organizations, Martinson said. He added that under international law, the most effective way to resolve disputes relating to sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction is to observe the basic principles of international law.