“Vietnam supports all constructive efforts to address differences through peaceful dialogues for peace, stability and security on the Korean peninsula and the world. Vietnam is ready to contribute actively to promote talks to secure peace, security and stability on the Korean peninsula.”, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told the press in a regular news briefing on Thursday ahead of meeting between Washington and Pyongyang leaders this May.

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang

The spokeswoman reacted to China’s Ministry of Agriculture’s recent adjustment of a break on fishing in sea waters including those under Vietnamese territorial waters from May 1, 2018:   “Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence prove its sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes as well as its legitimate rights indicated in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The regulation violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and its territorial waters, went against international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the spirit and languages of the Declaration on Conducts of Parties in the East Sea, contradicting to agreement on key principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea between Vietnam and China, not complying with important agreement between the two countries’ leaders in good control of differences at sea, not benefiting the assurance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea and fine development trend in bilateral relations as well as negotiation efforts towards a Code of Conducts for Parties in the East Sea.”

Responding to Taiwan’s live-fire exercise on Ba Binh island, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said that Taiwan’s live-fire drills in the sea area surrounding Ba Binh Island of Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago have for many times seriously violated Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty over the two archipelagoes, threatened peace, stability, safety, and security of navigation, caused tensions and complicated the situation in the East Sea. Once again, Vietnam resolutely objects and requests Taiwan not to repeat similar actions, the spokesperson noted.