May 22, 2023
3 mins read

Vietnam slams China, Philippines for activities in SCS

The vessels of China and Vietnam confronted each other after a Chinese research ship entered Hanoi’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to carry out a survey….reports Asian Lite News

The Vietnam government has criticized China and the Philippines for their recent activities in the disputed waters of the South China Sea and stressed that it “resolutely opposes the activities that violate its sovereignty,” The Diplomat reported.

While addressing a press conference in Hanoi on May 18, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that China and the Philippines were “violating the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam,” as per the news report. She further said, “Vietnam has and is taking appropriate measures, which comply with international law, to ensure our legitimate rights and interests.” The statement of Pham Thu Hang comes after Chinese and Vietnamese vessels confronted each other on multiple occasions this week, as per The Diplomat report.

The vessels of China and Vietnam confronted each other after a Chinese research ship entered Hanoi’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to carry out a survey. The incursion came after a Vietnamese announced that it was expanding its oil drilling operations in Vanguard Bank, a Vietnamese-held feature claimed by China.

The development came after the Chinese government opened a hot-pot restaurant on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands. Vietnamese nationalists have been angered by Chinese nationalists. As per the news report, South Vietnamese soldiers were displaced by China from the Paracels using force in 1974.

Pham Thu Hang has denounced the Philippines’ recent deployment of navigational buoys in disputed waters. On May 14, the Philippine Coast Guard announced that it had deployed five buoys in the South China Sea, including at Whitsun Reef in the Spratly Islands, which is also claimed by Vietnam, as per the news report.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said that the placement of the buoys, each of which is adorned with the Philippine flag, demonstrates “the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)”, as per The Diplomat report.

Responding to the question regarding Philippine buoys, Pham Thu Hang said that Vietnam “strongly opposes all acts violating Vietnam’s sovereign rights.” She further said that her government has adequate “legal basis and historical evidence” to assert sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos according to international law.

Pham Thu Hang called on all relevant parties to respect the sovereignty of Vietnam. She said, “Vietnam asks all relevant parties to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty, international law, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea while making practical and positive contributions to the maintenance of peace and stability in the South China Sea, as well as creating a conducive environment for the negotiations for a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea,” The Diplomat reported.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s remarks showcase that the Southeast Asian claimants in the South China Sea – Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have myriad complex and unresolved maritime and territorial disputes of their own, as per the news report.

These nations oppose “China’s maximalist nine-dash line claim” to vast swathes of the South China Sea. However, the disagreements between these nations demonstrated by overlapping on maps of the South China Sea with one another are significant reasons that are preventing them from showcasing a united front against China’s activities in the region. (ANI)

ALSO READ: History repeats itself in Pakistan with Imran Khan’s arrest

Previous Story

Bizmen hit by China’s undeclared ‘blockade’ of border with Nepal

Next Story

Ranil assures to complete debt restructuring by September

Latest from -Top News

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with

India-EU Trade Deal Breakthrough Soon?

Negotiators report increased momentum in discussions, which have been given a boost from US President Donald Trump’s tariff offensive…reports Asian Lite News India and the European Union aim to finalise a trade

Europe Seeks Peace in Gaza

European countries condemn Israeli interception of Gaza-bound flotilla, demand safety of citizens…reports Asian Lite News Israel’s interception of an international flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza has sparked condemnation across Europe, with

GAZA: Egypt to Host Peace Talks

Egypt hopes the discussions will help “end the war and the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, which has continued for two consecutive years…reports Asian Lite News Egypt will host Israeli and

‘My Injuries Made Me’

During his four-year battle with injury, the incumbent fast bowling spearhead made occasional appearances but couldn’t bear the workload and demands of red-ball cricket….reports Asian Lite News England tearaway Jofra Archer believes
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Nepal’s new Pokhara airport sinks into controversy

Dahal had expressed concerns about whether the Pokhara airport does

China not to change stance on Lankan debt restructuring

China’s stance of 2014 is unlikely to witness a change