Hang made the statement on Wednesday with regard to the Chinese law enforcement force’s suppression, injuring, and seizure of property of Vietnamese fishermen on fishing vessel QNg 95739 TS from central Quang Ngai Province while the boat was operating in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelago area on Sept. 29.
She emphasized that the acts by the Chinese law enforcement force had seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, infringed international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and run counter to the common perceptions of the two countries’ high-ranking leaders about better control and management of disputes at sea.
Vietnam is extremely concerned about, discontented with, and resolutely opposes the Chinese law enforcement force’s brutal behaviors towards the Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessel operating in Vietnam's Paracel Islands area, which injured, threatened the lives, and caused property damage to the Vietnamese fishermen, the spokeswoman said.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sternly communicated with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, strongly opposed the acts by the Chinese law enforcement force, and demanded China to fully respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, quickly investigate and announce results to the Vietnamese side, and not repeat similar acts, Hang added.
The Paracel Islands have been occupied by China through the use of force since 1974. In July 2012, China established what it calls the "city of Sansha," with its headquarters on Woody Island, aiming to consolidate control over islands in the East Sea, including the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which are under Vietnam's sovereignty.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly affirmed that Vietnam has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly Islands, in accordance with international law.