Vietnam asserts sovereignty over Truong Sa

A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has voiced Vietnam’s concern about the news that China dispatched 32 fishing vessels to the area of the Truong Sa archipelago.

A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has voiced Vietnam’s concern about the news that China on May 6 dispatched 32 fishing vessels to the area of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

We are concerned about the news and will follow the matter with keen interest, spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi said at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on May 9.

All activities of parties concerned in the East Sea need to abide by international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and in respect of sovereignty, and sovereign and jurisdiction rights of parties concerned, he said.

Vietnam asserts its sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, and all activities of parties concerned in the area without Vietnam’s permission violate the country’s sovereignty, Nghi stressed.