Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh said that Vietnam welcomed the arbitration tribunal’s final ruling and will issue a statement on the ruling’s content when answering press questions on the result of the Philippines’ lawsuit against Chinese territorial claims in the East Sea. The tribunal was based on the content of Annex VII of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the case was held at the request of the Philippines.
The foreign ministry spokesperson once again reiterated Vietnam’s stance as shown in the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Declaration on December 5, 2014, sent to the arbitration tribunal.
The statement said that in that spirit, Vietnam strongly supports settling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures, including diplomatic and legal processes without the use or threat to use force, as in line with regulations of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, maintaining peace and stability in the region, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and over flight over the East Sea, and respecting the law-abiding principle in seas and oceans.
Binh added that Vietnam once again affirmed its sovereignty over Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, the sovereignty over internal waters and territorial waters, jurisdiction over Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as defined in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He concluded, saying Vietnam upholds all of its legitimate rights and interests regarding the geographical structures belonging to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.
