Chinese ships intentionally rammed Vietnamese vessels when the latter were seeking to prevent a large oil rig from being set up by a Chinese oil company in Vietnamese waters in the East Sea this weekend, according Vietnamese officials.
As many as 80 vessels, including seven military boats, were deployed by the Chinese to guard its oil rig, Tran Duy Hai, deputy head of Vietnam’s national border committee, told international reporters at a press conference held in Hanoi on Wednesday.
Rear Admiral Ngo Ngoc Thu, vice commander of Vietnam’s coast guard, said Chinese vessels smashed into Vietnamese ships, causing large-scale damage and even blasted Vietnamese ships with water cannon.
Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh issued the demand during his phone call with the Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi on the afternoon of May 6 about the fact that China’s drilling rig HD 981 has illegally operated in Vietnam’s oil and gas lot 143 on the Vietnamese continental shelf in the East Sea since May 1.
“Vietnam cannot accept and resolutely opposes China’s act, and demands that China move the drilling rig and escort vessels out of the area before holding talks to resolve differences around the issue,” Minh said.
Earlier on May 3, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration released a navigational warning on its website, saying that China’s drilling rig HD 981 was operating in a location of 15°29’58” North latitude and 111°12’06” East longitude in the East Sea and will continue to operate until August 15.
In yesterday’s talks, Deputy PM Minh, who is also the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, stressed that China’s unilateral bringing of the rig and a large number of vessels, including military ships, to the above location is illegal and against international law and practice.
This act by China has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago and its sovereign right and jurisdiction over the Southeast Asian country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Minh said, adding that the act also hurts the Vietnamese people.
Vietnam has full legal and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos and the sovereign right and jurisdiction over the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in accordance with regulations in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Vietnamese official said.
Vietnam will take all proper and necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests, while at the same time showing goodwill to solve differences satisfactorily through negotiations, dialogues and other peaceful measures pursuant to the common perceptions of the two countries’ high-ranking leaders, Deputy PM Minh said.
Vietnam always observes the agreement on fundamental principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea in line with international law and regulations, particularly the UNCLOS, preventing the above issue from harming the political trust and cooperation between Vietnam and China.
Earlier on May 4, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a ministerial diplomatic note to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, affirming that the activities of China’s drilling rig and vessels “have seriously infringed Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.”
In the note, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded that China remove the drilling rig, vessels, equipment and personnel from lot 143 on Vietnam’s continental shelf immediately and not repeat similar actions in the future.
Vietnam highly values its friendship, cooperation and comprehensive strategic partnership with China and is therefore willing to settle all the disputes and differences at sea between the two countries through bilateral negotiation mechanisms based on international law, the UNCLOS, and the agreement on the fundamental principles for settling issues at sea between Vietnam and China, the note said.
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Đăng ký: VietNam News