(VOV) - A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on May 15 criticised China’s 2013 fishing ban in the East Sea, including some of the waters of Vietnam. The ban will take effect at 12.00 am on May 16 and lasts through to 12.00am on August 1, 2013.China’s unilateral decision violates Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, its sovereign rights and jurisdiction to the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf  according to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi. The ban goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), he said.Vietnam opposes and declares China’s unilateral decision null and void, the spokesperson said. 

Asked about Vietnam's reaction to May 11 bomb attacks in Reyhanli township, Turkey, killing at least 45 people and injuring 100, spokesman Nghi said: "Vietnam strongly condemns bombings on May 11, 2013 in Reyhanli, Turkey. We extend our deep sympathy to the Turkish government and families of the victims. The perpetrators should be severely punished".