(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry held its regular press briefing on Thursday. In response to a question concerning Vietnam’s reaction to China’s deployment of 16 jet fighters to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said: “Once again we assert Vietnam’s indisputable sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes. China’s deployment of jet fighters to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago seriously violates Vietnam’s sovereignty and directly threatens regional peace and stability. Vietnam resolutely rejects and demands that China immediately end its encroachment of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa, withdraw its jet fighters from this area and not to repeat similar acts. As a permanent member of the United Nations with an important role in the region, China should act responsibly and constructively in the maintenance of peace and stability in the region in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).”  

Commenting on the Hiroshima Declaration of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Japan, which mentions the situation in the East Sea, Mr. Binh said: “Vietnam welcomes the Declaration of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on maritime security towards the common goal of ensuring navigation and aviation security, safety and freedom and maritime security with respect for international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vietnam asks parties concerned to contribute practically to the maintenance of peace, stability, and the rule of law in all maritime areas and oceans.”