Nghi made the request in Hanoi on
April 30 while answering reporters’ queries on Vietnam’s response to
some recent acts of China on the area of Hoang Sa archipelago, including
the senior Chinese officials’ cutting of the ribbon to inaugurate the
Xinhua bookstore on Hoang Sa’s Phu Lam island, bringing tourists to the
archipelago and preparing for a fishing competition on the Hoang Sa
archipelago area.
“Vietnam affirms its
indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa archipelago. The above-mentioned
actions of the Chinese side seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty
and ran counter to the agreement on basic principles guiding the
settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China,” the
spokesperson said.
Those acts did not comply with
the Joint Statement of the 15 th ASEAN-China Summit on the 10 th
Anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea
(DOC) and violated the DOC, causing tension and complicating the East
Sea situation, he added.
Regarding China’s
move to bring tourists to Hoang Sa archipelago, on the same day,
Chairman of the Da Nang city People’s Committee Van Huu Chien affirmed
that Hoang Sa is an island district of central Da Nang city and an
inseparable part of Vietnam’s territory.
China
’s bringing of tourists to Hoang Sa violated Vietnam’s sovereignty
and stirred up a discontent among the Da Nang authorities and
people, he said.
“We strongly oppose the aforesaid
illegal action and request China to immediately put an end to organising
tours and other activities on Hoang Sa archipelago,” he stressed.-VNA