Deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng during the regular press briefing on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam demands that China withdraw its ships out of the Bãi Ba Đầu (Whitsun Reef) in Việt Nam’s Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelago, and respect Việt Nam’s sovereignty.

Deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng made the statement regarding the reports of the operation of many Chinese vessels at Bãi Ba Đầu, during the regular press conference held virtually by the ministry on Thursday.

"As we have affirmed multiple times, Việt Nam has full legal basis and historical evidence to testify to its sovereignty over the Trường Sa archipelago in accordance with international law; to be entitled to sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters defined in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS)," she said.

Hằng reiterated that Việt Nam resolutely and persistently takes measures under international law to protect such legal and legitimate rights.

The operation of Chinese vessels inside the waters of the Sinh Tồn Đông (Grierson Reef) in Việt Nam’s Trường Sa archipelago has seriously violated Việt Nam’s sovereignty and stipulations of the 1982 UNCLOS, and runs counter to the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), the deputy spokesperson stressed.

Việt Nam calls on China to implement the 1982 UNCLOS with goodwill and seriously observe the DOC, creating a favourable environment to reach a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, and contributing to maintaining peace, security, stability and legal order in regional waters. — VNS