Vietnam demands Taiwan cease live-fire drills in disputed waters

By Khanh Lynh   August 24, 2017 | 12:28 am PT
Vietnam demands Taiwan cease live-fire drills in disputed waters
An aerial photo shows the view of Itu Aba in the South China Sea. Photo by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters
Itu Aba Island in the Spratly Archipelago is illegally occupied by Taiwan.

Vietnam has reiterated its opposition to the live-fire drills being conducted by Taiwan on an island in the Spratly Archipelago.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a press briefing on Thursday that Vietnam “resolutely opposes” Taiwan’s repeated drills around Ba Binh Island, which is known internationally as Itu Aba, calling them “serious violations” of Vietnam’s sovereignty.

She said Vietnam holds enough legal and historical evidence to prove its rights over the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, through which more than $3 trillion worth of cargo passes every year.

Taiwan’s actions “threaten peace, stability, safety and marine security, and cause tensions in the East Sea,” she said, using the Vietnamese reference to the waters.

“Vietnam demands Taiwan not to repeat such exercises,” she said.

Hang made similar comments three months ago following days of live-fire drills conducted by Taiwan around the island.

Ba Binh, the largest natural island in the Spratlys, is illegally occupied by Taiwan. The 0.5 square-kilometer island is 1,600 kilometers southwest of Taiwan.

 
 
go to top