In his article run on “Yomiuri Shimbun” on June 17, Hung said that a t least from the 17th century, Vietnam gathered resources on the islands and ensured the safety of other countries’ vessels passing through the Hoang Sa waters. These activities were recorded in the official documents of the Vietnamese state during this period.
He asserted that after the 2nd World War, no country recognised the Hoang Sa archipelago as part of China . The Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Declaration and the San Francisco Treaty all listed all the territories to be returned to China , but Hoang Sa was not included in the list. The Chiang Kai-shek government who was involved in the negotiations of these declarations mentioned nothing about the archipelago.
In 1974, China illegally occupied Hoang Sa by force from the government of the South of Vietnam, he said, adding that the use of force to invade another country’s territory is a violation of fundamental principles of international law.
The ambassador affirmed that China’s illegal placement of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty, international law such as the Charter of the United Nations, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The whole world has been furiously watching inhumane actions of Chinese vessels colliding and sinking Vietnam fishing ships, he said, stressing that China has falsely accused Vietnam of ramming Chinese ships over 1500 times and encroaching upon China’s activities.
“The Vietnamese Government attaches great importance to relations with China but will resolutely use all peaceful means allowed by international law to protect its territorial sovereignty and maintain peace and justice,” he stressed.
Vietnam hopes that people from all around the world, including the Japanese, will continue to support the Vietnamese people, he said.-VNA
