Spratly islands in the south china sea

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam Lê Thị Thu Hằng during Thursday press briefing held in Hà Nội. — Photo from the ministry HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Thursday denounced China’s illegal military exercise in the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) archipelago as a serious violation of its sovereignty over the South China Sea Island chain. The spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng made the remarks during a press briefing in Hà Nội, in response to requests for a reaction to the announcement from China’s Hainan Province’s Department for Ocean Affairs about a June 19 drill in the waters off of Phú Lâm (Woody) Island, part of Hoàng Sa, which Việt Nam claims as its own. The military drill “goes against the spirit of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), complicates the situation, is not conducive to the ongoing negotiations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the Code of … [Read more...] about Việt Nam denounces China’s military drill, asserts sovereignty over island chains in South China Sea

Vietnam demanded China stop recurrence. Vietnam said China’s military exercises violate its territorial waters in Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) in the South China Sea (referring to the East Sea in Vietnamese). Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the press conference on June 23. Photo: MOFA Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) made the statement at a press conference held on June 23 following China’s announcement of military exercises that took place on June 19 within 12 nautical miles of Phu Lam Island (Woody Island) in Hoang Sa. No ships were allowed to enter the drill zone. “China’s military drills in Hoang Sa archipelago seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over these islands,” Hang said, noting that the activities “go against the spirit of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and are not favorable to the ongoing negotiations on the Code of Conduct … [Read more...] about Vietnam protests China military exercise in South China Sea

Vietnam demanded China stop recurrence. Vietnam said China’s military exercises violate its territorial waters in Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) in the South China Sea (referring to the East Sea in Vietnamese). Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the press conference on June 23. Photo: MOFA Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) made the statement at a press conference held on June 23 following China’s announcement of military exercises that took place on June 19 within 12 nautical miles of Phu Lam Island (Woody Island) in Hoang Sa. No ships were allowed to enter the drill zone. “China’s military drills in Hoang Sa archipelago seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over these islands,” Hang said, noting that the activities “go against the spirit of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and are not favorable to the ongoing negotiations on the Code of Conduct … [Read more...] about Vietnam protests China military exercises in South China Sea

Hang said that China's actions "have severely violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the islands, gone against the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, complicated the situation and is not beneficial for current negotiation processes between China and ASEAN for a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the sea." The South China Sea is known as the East Sea in Vietnam. Hang was responding to questions about an announcement by the Hainan Department for Ocean Affairs on June 13 about a Chinese military drill on June 19 on a north-western area of the Paracel Islands. The announcement barred vessels from entering the area during the drill. "Vietnam resolutely protests any action that violates the sovereignty and relevant rights regarding the islands," Hang said. Responding to another question about Japanese media reports that said China plans to create "internal waters" on the South China … [Read more...] about China’s drills on Vietnam’s Paracel Islands a sovereignty violation

An important legal framework On the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed the Vietnam Law of the Sea on June 21, 2012. The law started to officially take effect from January 1, 20213, serving as an important legal framework to regulate Vietnam’s relations at sea and oceans. Dr. Tran Cong Truc shared that the Vietnam Law of the Sea has 54 articles in seven chapters. There are four contents legalized in the law, namely the demarcation of sea areas and continental shelves and assertion of sovereignty over islands and archipelagos; activities in Vietnamese waters; marine economic development; and the management and protection of sea and islands. Article 1 of the Law of the Sea of Vietnam states, “This law provides regulations concerning the baseline, internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, islands, the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, the Truong Sa … [Read more...] about Part 2: Vietnam Law of the Sea adds more legal basis to UNCLOS

That statement was made by Dr. Tran Cong Truc, former head of the Government Border Committee. An international comprehensive legal document On April 30, 1982, the third U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea passed a new convention named The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. On June 23, 1994, Vietnam was one of the first countries in the world to ratify the convention and became a member of UNCLOS. According to Dr. Tran Cong Truc, UNCLOS 1982 was built on the basis of “whole package,” including all aspects related to the law of the sea. This is a comprehensive international legal document that consists of all the most important legal contents and practices in reality concerning seas and oceans. The most important part of the convention is that it devises a united measure of defining waters and continental shelf under the sovereignty and sovereign and jurisdiction rights of coastal countries. The convention also defines clearly the rights and … [Read more...] about Part 1: A fair look into UNCLOS 1982 needed