(VOVworld) - Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said recent activities by China in the East Sea have damaged the status quo and China’s militarization in the East Sea was worrisome.

(VOVworld) – On Wednesday, major German newspapers criticized China’s escalation of tensions in the East Sea by deploying fighter jets to Woody island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago. The Frankfurt General newspaper said the Beijing government had injected a new element into sovereignty disputes in the East Sea with its deployment of fighter jets to Woody island. It criticized China’s sovereignty claim to 90% of the East Sea. The article said US satellite images indicate that China might have illegally built a high frequency radar station on Truong Sa archipelago.

(VOVworld) – Many countries oppose China’s militarization of islands in the East Sea and consider it the cause of intensified regional tension, flouting international law and efforts to peacefully resolve sovereignty disputes.

(VOVworld) - US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the militarization of facilities in the East Sea does not help resolve maritime claims.

(VOVworld) – Vietnam has expressed its concerns over China’s construction of a military helicopter base in Quang Hoa or Duncan Island and deployment of an HQ-9 surface-to-air missile system to Phu Lam or Woody island belonging to Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

(VOVworld)- On Wednesday, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the importance of maintaining regional stability in the Asia-Pacific and expressed full support for the international community in finding peaceful solutions to disputes in the East Sea.

(VOVworld) – The Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted Prime Minister Najib Razak as saying that ASEAN leaders have reiterated their stand on wanting a peaceful resolution to overlapping territorial claims in the East Sea.

(VOVworld) – On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama called for “tangible steps” to lower tensions in the East Sea.

(VOVworld) – On Tuesday Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held talks with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Summit in Sunnylands. President Obama said he will visit Vietnam in May to learn more about Vietnam, its land, people, and culture and discuss ways to maintain momentum for the US-Vietnam comprehensive cooperative partnership. Prime Minister Dung said the visit will initiate a new period of cooperation and development between the two countries.

(VOVworld) - Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Canadian counterpart Stephane Dion have agreed on cooperation on a number of issues during their talks on Friday in Ottawa, Canada.