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| A Chinese vessel threatening to ram into a Vietnam Coast Guard ship. Photo: thanhnien.com.vn |
She said she hopes the two sides will solve the issue through peaceful means. Ambassador Dung briefed the host of the latest developments in the East Sea, confirming China’s illegal acts have seriously infringed international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The move also poses a threat to the regional peace as well as security and safety of navigation in the East Sea, he added.
Vietnam has exercised her utmost restraint and persistently pursued peaceful means by demanding for China’s immediate withdrawal of its oil rig from Vietnam’s waters, in an effort to safeguard the nation’s territorial sovereignty, Dung said.
The diplomat also handed over the letter of head of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Affairs Tran Van Hang to the Canadian official, which highlights China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereign right and jurisdiction and international law.
Since early May, China has illegally operated the rig and a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft in Vietnam’s waters.
Despite Vietnam’s protests, China has expanded its scale of operation and recently moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, which is 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
According to the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department, on June 24, China sent 102 – 108 vessels, including six military ships, to protect the oil rig that is illegally stationed in Vietnam’s waters, continuing aggressive acts to harass Vietnamese ships.
Source: VNA
