Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang

Speaking at the Vietnam Foreign Ministry’s press briefing on Thursday, spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang responded to questions about the court ruling of 6 defendants under charges of “trying to overthrow the people’s administration”: “I reject this untrue and biased information. In Vietnam, there is nothing called such as prisoners of conscience and no one has been arrested for their viewpoints. As in any countries, law offenders must be dealt with by law. I reiterate Vietnam’s  consistent policy of human rights assurance and promotion in line with the Vietnamese Constitution and law as well as international conventions on human rights to which Vietnam is a member. Vietnam’s efforts and achievements in promoting and ensuring human rights has received high praise from the international public.”

Regarding recent trade rows between the US and China, the spokeswoman said these emerging issues in international trade must be settled in line with WTO regulations to ensure parties’ legitimate rights and for cooperation, development and prosperity.