HÀ NỘI - Việt Nam resolutely opposes and demands Taiwan to cancel its live-fire exercises in the waters around Ba Bình island belonging to Việt Nam's Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelago and not to repeat similar actions in the future, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on March 11.

Answering reporters’ query on Việt Nam’s response to the live-fire drill conducted by Taiwan, Hằng said it seriously violated Việt Nam’s territorial sovereignty over Trường Sa, threatened peace, stability, safety and security of navigation, induced tensions and complicated the situation in the East Sea.

“We have repeatedly made statements on this issue,” she said, stressing that Việt Nam has full legal grounds and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa archipelagoes in accordance with international law. VNA/VNS