I. Announcement

1. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan to attend the 18th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Japan (May 24-25)

At the invitation of the President and CEO of Nikkei Inc., Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan is going to lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 18th International Conference on the Future of Asia held by Nikkei Inc. in Tokyo, Japan May 24 - 25. The Conference under the theme ‘Asia’s Role in a Tumultuous World – In Search of a New Growth Model’ will focus on growth issues in the region and the improvement of Asia’s role in the international arena.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan will discuss and exchange views with regional leaders on measures to respond to challenges for Asia’s development.

While in Japan, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan is expected to visit Aichi Province and meet with Japanese leaders to promote bilateral cooperation.

2. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan to attend the 2012 Global Summit of Women, Athens, Greece (May 31 – June 2)

At the invitation of the President of Global Summit of Women Irene Natividad, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan is going to lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the Global Summit of Women in Athens, Greece from May 31 to June 02.

The Summit this year is themed “Women: The Engine of Economic Growth - Boosting the world’s economies, increasing opportunities for all, developing a new breed of leadership, making technology more accessible and engendering peace worldwide.”

The Vietnamese delegation is going to present its achievements in promoting gender equality and Vietnamese women’s advancements, discuss and share experiences in upholding women’s roles in the expansion and enhancement of international cooperation for the advancement of women.

3. Viet Nam – Laos – Thailand Foreign Vice Ministerial Conference on East-West Economic Corridor

The Viet Nam – Laos – Thailand Foreign Vice Ministerial Conference on the East-West Economic Corridor will be held from May 16 - 19 in Dong Ha, Quang Tri province.

The Conference will review the EWEC development in each state and discuss measures to address difficulties in the EWEC development.

II. Questions and Answers:

1. Question: Recently Taiwanese officials have been reported to visit Ba Binh (Itu Aba) island in Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and “claim sovereignty” over the island. Could you please give comment on this?

Answer:

Viet Nam objects Taiwanese officials going to Ba Binh island of Viet Nam’s Truong Sa archipelago and claiming sovereignty over the island. This action has violated Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa archipelago, created tension and complicated the situation in the East Sea. Viet Nam demands Taiwan end this wrongful move.
 
2. Question: China is expanding oil and gas exploration activities, bringing gigantic oil rig 981 to operate in the East Sea. What is your comment on this?

Answer:

We are very much interested in this information and hold that activities in the East Sea by countries must abide by international laws, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 and Declaration on the Conducts of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and must not infringe upon sovereignty, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction of other countries, contributing to peace and stability in the East Sea.

3. Question: Vietnamese press has reported that Google Maps published inaccurate information on Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago. What’s your comment on this?

Answer:

Viet Nam affirms its indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. Information that failed to reflect this fact is wrongful and invalid. We are willing to share with publishers, printing houses accurate documents, maps, data on Viet Nam’s sovereignty in the East Sea.

Recently, Viet Nam Foreign Ministry met with Google representatives to express Viet Nam’s views on the case in which keywords search on Google Maps produced inaccurate information on Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes. Google has fixed this error.