All countries in and outside the East Sea share benefits as well as responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the area, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said on September 22.

He made the statement while answering reporters’ queries about Vietnam’s response to the Japanese Defence Minister’s announcement that Japan will step up its joint patrols with the US in the Ease Sea.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh. Photo: zing.vn

The Spokesperson emphasised Vietnam’s consistent stance that all activities of concerned parties should actively and constructively contribute to peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea – which provides a bloodline sea route of the region and the world.

Regarding the recent joint drills conducted by China and Russia, Binh said Vietnam, as a coastal nation and a member of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), holds that all activities in the East Sea, including military ones, should observe international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.

Vietnam hopes that all countries will make active contributions to maintaining peace and stability, and ensuring maritime and aviation security and safety in the sea as well as Asia-Pacific, he noted.

Asked about Vietnam’s reaction to Chinese Taiwan’s discreet construction of several facilities on Ba Binh island of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago to serve its military purposes, Binh said competent Vietnamese agencies are verifying the information.

“Vietnam has repeatedly affirmed its sovereignty over Truong Sa archipelago. Therefore, Taiwan’s occupation and operations in the area are illegal and seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty. And Vietnam vehemently opposes such actions,” he said.

Source: VNA