Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam Lê Thị Thu Hằng. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam resolutely opposes and demands Taiwan cancel live-fire drills in the waters around Ba Bình Island belonging to Việt Nam’s Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelago and not repeat similar violations in the future, Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Saturday.

Answering a reporter's query on Việt Nam’s reaction to the live-fire drills conducted by Taiwan on June 28 and 29, spokeswoman Hằng said the exercises seriously violated Việt Nam’s territorial sovereignty over the Trường Sa archipelago; threatened peace, stability, safety and security of navigation; induced tensions and complicated the situation in the South China Sea (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea).

She stressed that Việt Nam’s stance on Taiwan's live-fire drills in the waters around Ba Bình Island belonging to Việt Nam’s Trường Sa archipelago was clear, consistent and reaffirmed many times over the past years. — VNS