(VOVWORLD) -Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang has responded to the US stance on claims in the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.
 Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VOV) |
She told the press on Wednesday that peace, stability, cooperation and development in the East Sea is a joint aspiration and goal of regional countries and the world community. Respect for the rule of law at sea and enforcement of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in earnest is crucial towards that goal, Hang said.
Vietnam welcomed countries’ stance on the East Sea issue in line with international law and repeated its view at the 36th ASEAN Summit that the Convention is the legal framework governing all activities at sea and in the ocean. Vietnam expects countries to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea while settling disputes through dialogues and other peaceful means in line with international law. Vietnam always contributes responsibly to this process, the spokeswoman said.