Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (Photo: Reuters)Tokyo (VNA) – Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on August28 called on parties involved in the East Sea issue to pursue the peacefulsettlement of conflicts based on international law.
Japan is paying closeattention to recent activities in the East Sea carried out by China, Motegisaid, given the information about China’s launch of several ballistic missilesin the sea.
He stressed thatissues related to the East Sea are directly linked to regional peace andstability and is a legitimate concern of the international community, includingJapan. Japan strongly opposes any act that increases tension in the East Seaand always upholds the rule of law at seas.
On August 26, answeringreporters’ questions about Vietnam’s response to China’s holding of militaryexercises in the waters north-northeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel)archipelago, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made itclear that China’s act violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago andran counter to the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in theEast Sea (DOC).
It also complicatedthe situation, which is unfavourable for the ongoing negotiations between Chinaand ASEAN on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) and themaintenance of a peaceful, stable, and cooperative environment in the East Sea,she added.
“Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnam’ssovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago, stop and not repeat such violations,”Hang said./.
VNA
