(VOVworld) – Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry held its regular press briefing on Thursday. Concerning Vietnam’s reaction to China’s drilling rig HD 981 being moved to the area off the Tonkin Gulf on April 3, Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said:
“According to Vietnamese functional agencies, on the night of April 3, China’s drilling rig HD 981 moved to the area, whose coordinates are 17o 3’12 North and 110o 04’18 East for operations. This area is off the Tonkin Gulf, whose delineation is being discussed by Vietnam and China.
Vietnam resolutely protests and asks China to cancel its drilling plan and withdraw drilling rig HD 981 from this area as well as not to take unilateral actions to complicate the situation and sustain peace and stability in the East Sea.
Vietnam reserves all its legitimate rights and interests in this area through peaceful means allowed by international law to protect such rights and interests.”
Commenting on China’s construction of a lighthouse on Subi reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago, Mr. Binh said:
“Once again, Vietnam has sufficient legal and historical evidence of its undisputed sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes. China’s action seriously violates Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa, which is illegal and invalid.
We ask China to immediately end its violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, seriously abide by international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and not to take further actions to complicate the situation in the East Sea.”