"We regard the latest case as being part of a series of unilateral and provocative maritime advancement activities by China," he was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
The minister further said, "We think China should clearly explain the basis and details of its activities to Vietnam and the international community".
Kishida went on to say that peace and stability in the East Sea were a common issue for the international community, and that disputes should be addressed peacefully through dialogue.
He also mentioned official consultations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China on a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea, adding that Japan will urge China and other countries with overlapping territorial claims in the East Sea to restrain themselves and abide by international law, so as to reduce tensions.
The US State Department on May 8 once again expressed concerns regarding China’s recent actions in the East Sea, blaming the country for the current tension.
China’s deployment of a drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters is a provocative and dangerous act that leads to tensions climbing in the East Sea, Marie Harf, US State Department vice spokeswoman told reporters at the press centre in Washington on May 8.
She stressed that all sovereignty claims must be based on international law.
The same day, the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Organisation slammed China’s unilateral moving of the oil rig as a serious violation of international law, causing tension and threatening security and peace in the region.
The organisation demanded China completely withdraw the rig and all ships from the Hoang Sa (Paracel) area.
Through its website and its publication Mekong, the organisation will update readers on information relating to the East Sea situation, analysis and historic evidence proving the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos belong to Vietnam.
The media in Germany on May 8 also continued covering the developments in the East Sea.
The Deutsche Welle newspaper quoted Ernest Bauer from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies as saying that China’s unilateral act violates the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and runs counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed by China and ASEAN countries in 2002.
In the Tagesschau newspaper, Professor Carl Thayer from Australia’s New South Wales University described China’s deployment of the oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as a seriously provocative act, as more than 70 vessels, including naval ones, escorted the rig.
