Deputy Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – Deputy Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng has voiced the country’s objection to the China Maritime Safety Administration's placement of three light buoys on some entities in Trường Sa (Spratly) of Việt Nam.

Replying to reporters’ question about the placement by the China Maritime Safety Administration under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, Hằng stressed that Việt Nam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence testifying to its sovereignty over Trường Sa as well as Hoàng Sa (Paracel) in line with international law.

The installation of the light buoys on entities in Trường Sa without Việt Nam’s permission is an infringement of Việt Nam’s sovereignty over Trường Sa, so the move is invalid, she stated.

Việt Nam demands the parties concerned not take any actions that may complicate the situation but respect Việt Nam’s sovereignty, international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and maintain an environment of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea, the official added. - VNS