(VOVworld)- China on Wednesday violated Vietnam’s sovereignty after organizing a ceremony to grant identification cards and residence certificates for people in the so-called Sansha city, which is legally Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. Speaking at a regular media conference in Hanoi on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Luong Thanh Nghi said:“Vietnam has several times reiterated its stance over the so-called Sansha city. This act by China violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.”

Earlier on July 7, a Chinese ship coded 306 chased and bullied two Vietnamese fishing vessels in the waters of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. The Chinese crew searched the Vietnamese ships, attacked the fishermen, broke equipment and stole property, when they were simply fishing as usual in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago. On July 17, a representative from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs met representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to hand over a note protesting the act and demanding compensation for the fishermen. Nghi said:“The relevant agencies of the two countries are implementing agreements on establishing a hotline to resolve any incidents arising from fishing. We hope that once the hotlines is in operation, the two sides can exchange timely information and promptly deal with these cases”

Spokesperson for the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Luong Thanh Nghi

At the conference, Nghi briefed reporters on Vietnam’s upcoming international engagements including President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to the US from July 24 to 26. Nghi said the visit was of great importance in boosting Vietnamese- US ties.