(VOVworld) -   The Vietnamese people and international community on Thursday continued to oppose China putting its drilling rig HD 981 into operation in oil and gas field 143 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, considering this an act of violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

A Chinese vessel used water cannons to fire at Vietnamese patrol ships

Do Binh Duong, a local resident in Hanoi’s Dong Da district said that Vietnam had sufficient legal and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea regulations. Vietnam has shown its goodwill and consistently solved differences through negotiations, dialogue, and other peaceful solutions commonly acknowledged by senior leaders from both countries, and in line with an agreement on basic guiding principles to solve maritime issues, in accordance with regulations and practices of international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention.
Do Binh Duong said: "Maritime disputes among countries are common and I’m not happy about this. I am upset by China using naval ships at this time, while the Vietnamese government is implementing only peaceful means."
Pham Thanh Noi, a member of Tra Vinh City’s Bar Association, said: "This is about Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty. China, as a major country, should respect international law in the East Sea as well as its borders with Vietnam. We strongly oppose China’s oil exploitation in Vietnam’s territory as well as its use of military ships and planes to provoke Vietnamese fishermen."

World public opinion unanimously opposes China’s actions in the East Sea. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Thursday expressed his deep concern over the conflict between Vietnamese and Chinese ships in the area and called on both parties to refrain. Suga said: "This is part of a series of China’s unilateral and provocative activities. Japan is deeply concerned over the escalation of tension in the region as China begins its attempts at unilateral exploratory drilling."

Earlier on Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said that China’s move has escalated regional tensions and heightened Japanese anxiety.

Photo of the Canada's National Post website

Also that day, a Singapore Foreign Ministry spokesperson called all parties to abide by the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea and solve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He said Singapore would continue to call on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to work together to complete a Code on Conduct in the East Sea.

In Germany, major newspapers such as Die Welt and Der Spiegel run articles on China’s aggressive attitude in the East Sea, saying that China’s placing of its oil rig in Vietnam’s maritime sovereign area was one of the latest in Beijing’s series of provocative activities.