Overseas Vietnamese protest China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty

Monday, May 12, 2014 | 14:31:10

(VOVworld) - On Sunday, more than 500 Vietnamese people in Japan marched to protest China’s illegal placement of a drilling rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Overseas Vietnamese protest China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty - ảnh 1

Overseas Vietnamese protest China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty - ảnh 2

Many Japanese people joined the march, which caught the attention of the Japanese media. Reporters of NHK, ANN, and many Japanese newspapers covered the march and interviewed those involved, expressing the concern of Japanese people about tensions in the East Sea.

Overseas Vietnamese protest China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty - ảnh 3

Marches also took place across the United States to protest China’s actions. A protest took place on Saturday at Eden, one of the biggest trading centers of the Vietnamese community in Washington DC and adjacent areas.

Overseas Vietnamese protest China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty - ảnh 4

Hundreds of overseas Vietnamese raised banners and chanted slogans asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes and demanding that Beijing withdraw its drilling rig HD-981. David Ho, President of the Vietnamese Business Association in the US, said: “China’s placement of an oil rig on Vietnam’s continental shelf defies international law. I’m very indignant about China’s move. I hope Vietnamese people will unite to defend our territorial integrity. We really need a common voice in this.”

Nguyen Manh Hung, Professor of US Foreign Policy at George Mason University, said: “China has had a long-term strategy and plan to occupy the East Sea. This is one part of China’s plan. They want to test what Vietnam will do and their actions have been criticized by many countries. This is a blatant incursion into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. China has said that disputes and differences should be set aside and resolved peacefully but its action sends a different message.”

The Vietnamese community in France released a statement protesting China’s action. The statement says that China’s unilateral act seriously violates Vietnam’s sovereignty, threatens regional security and violates the principle of settling disputes in the East Sea peacefully. The statement calls on the international community to reject China’s dangerous, provocative act in the interests of world peace and sustainable development.

Vietnamese people in Singapore, the Czech Republic, and Germany also protested China’s actions in the East Sea. They encouraged each other to unite and contribute more to the homeland.