HCMC – China’s military drills in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago and China must stop and not repeat its military exercises on the archipelago, said Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hang made the statement at a press briefing held yesterday, August 5, in response to inquiries about China’s military drills set to take place from August 6 to 10 in the northern part of the East Sea between the Hainan island and Vietnam’s Paracel islands.
She stressed that Vietnam has sufficient historical and legal evidence to prove its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance with international law.
“China’s military drills in the Hoang Sa Islands violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago, go against the spirit of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea, complicate the situation and hamper the current negotiations between China and the ASEAN as well as the efforts to maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea,” she added.
