(MOFA) - On 8 May 2020, in response to reporters’ queries regarding China’s notice of fishing ban and its execution in the East Sea (South China Sea) from 1 May to 16 August 2020, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang stated:

Viet Nam has ample historical evidence and legal basis to assert its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands in accordance with international law. As a coastal state in the East Sea and a State Party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Viet Nam has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime zones established pursuant to UNCLOS and enjoys other lawful rights and interests at sea provided therein.

Viet Nam rejects China’s unilateral decision. Given the current regional and global context, Viet Nam asks China not to further complicate the situation in the East Sea.