During a regular press conference held on May 28, Binh stressed thatVietnam has sufficient legal and historical evidence to prove itssovereignty over the two archipelagos.
Thelighthouse building effort undertaken by China violates Vietnam’ssovereignty as well as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in theEast Sea (DOC), which the ASEAN member states and China signed in 2002.
Vietnam requested China to adhere tointernationally recognised principles, especially the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and the DOC, andrestrain from actions that complicate the East Sea situation, he said.
On May 26, China unveiled its first whitemilitary strategy paper that includes a provision to protect itsbuildings construction on the artificial islands in Truong Saarchipelago.
Binh emphasised that as a permanentmember of the UN Security Council and a key regional stakeholder, Chinaneeds to respect the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction ofthe involved countries, comply with international law, and contributeresponsibly and constructively to maintaining regional and global peace,stability, and security.
Recently, Australianmedia outlets reported that Government officials were concerned overChina moving weaponry onto the artificial islands built illegaly in theEast Sea. The spokesman said Vietnamese authorised agencies are closelyfollowing the events in these waters.
The EastSea is a shipping route and an international flight corridor of criticalimportance, he noted, adding that Vietnam hopes the involved partieswill sustain peace, stability, and maritime security and safety in thewaters in compliance with international law, particularly the 1982UNCLOS and the DOC.-VNA