(VOVworld) - International press commentators, scholars and politicians all share the opinion that China’s unilateral and provocative acts, which are against international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), triggered the current tension in the East Sea. The Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh made the argument in his article entitled Who is the real trouble-maker in the East Sea?” posted in the Monday edition of Thailand’s Matichon Daily in response to Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Ning Fuikui’s arguments to defend China’s acts in the East Sea. He wrote in his article that in fact, China’s illegal deployment of its oil rig as well as the aggressive actions of its escort vessels have been fully covered by many regional and international news agencies.
Ambassador Thanh refuted Ambassador Ning’s view that the Chinese government has consistently exercised its undisrupted and legitimate sovereignty over this archipelago since the mid-10th century. This view not only contradicts history but also has no legal basis. Meanwhile Vietnam has plentiful historical and legal evidences to prove its sovereignty over the Paracels.

He also cited a map drawn by Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville, a famous French cartographer, published in Germany in the 18th century, which showed that the furthest expansion of China’s territory under the reign of Qianlong Emperor (1736 – 1795) was Hainan Island (without including islands in the East Sea such as the Paracels). This map was presented to the Chinese President Xi Jinping by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during Mr. Xi’s visit to Germany in March 2014.

At the same time, Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracels was recognized in Chinese documents, such as the HaiwaiJishi(1696) and the Hailu (1820), and in international papers such as the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1837) and the Journal of the Geographical Society of London (1849).

Ambassador Thanh said that China's drawing of a baseline around the Paracels is invalid and runs counter to the 1982 UNCLOS. He said China's actions severely violate international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, the DOC as well as agreements between the leaders of both countries. This is no longer a bilateral issue between Vietnam and China but a general threat to security, safety, the freedom of navigation and regional stability. Therefore, other countries around the world have backed Vietnam, expressing concerns and demanding that China immediately put an end to its provocative actions.

He also expressed his belief that China’s immediate withdrawal of the Haiyang 981 oil rig and its escort vessels from Vietnamese waters and cooperation with Vietnam to resolve the relevant legal issues would be the most meaningful solution.