Following is the content of the letter:
VIETNAM PEACE COMMITTEE
105A Quan Thanh, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel/Fax: (84-4) 3945 4272; E-mail: vietpeacecom@gmail.com
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Hanoi, May 10th, 2014
To: The Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament
Dear Comrades,
The Vietnam Peace Committee would like to convey to the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament its sincere greetings, and to exchange with you its views on the following:
During recent days, the Vietnamese people have been profoundly concerned over the tense situation arising from the sending on May 2nd, 2014 by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation of drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 for operation at a location 15029’58” north latitude, 111012’06” east longitude, which is about 120 nautical miles from the Vietnamese coast and well within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Viet Nam. Many Chinese ships escorting the rig, including military vessels, have repeatedly attacked Vietnamese ships in the area, causing heavy material damage and threatening human life.
Such actions are serious violations of Vietnam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, run counter to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (South China Sea) signed by ASEAN member states and China, and violate the agreements on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues reached between senior leaders of Vietnam and China, as well as exchanges of views and agreements between the Vietnam Peace Committee and the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament. They constitute the main cause of tension and threat to stability in the East Sea.
They not only impact adversely the political trust between Vietnam and China and their on-going negotiations on sea-related issues, but also affect negatively the time-honored friendship between the people of our two countries. Public opinion in Vietnam is deeply concerned, and urges that such actions be put to an end and not repeated in the future.
The Vietnam Peace Committee stands energetically against the above-mentioned moves, and proposes that the Chinese Association for Peace and Disarmament would take positive measures conducive to preserving the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and China.
Yours sincerely,
The Vietnam Peace Committee
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