Vietnam has continued to resolutely and consistently safeguard its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the East Sea as defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) through peaceful means based on international law. The Foreign Ministry's Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang made this statement on July 25 while responding to a reporter's query regarding Chinese geological survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8's recent activities violating Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the south of the East Sea.
Vietnam has contacted the Chinese side many times via different channels and handed over diplomatic notes to protest China's violations. Vietnam’s demanded China to immediately withdraw all vessels from Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. She said that Vietnamese forces have carried out all the proper measures. She also added that maintaining peace and stability as well as ensuring freedom of aviation and navigation, obeying the law and respecting the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of nations as stipulated in the 1982 UNCLOS are the common interests and responsibilities of countries and the international community.
