VN concerned about China military drill

Việt Nam is deeply concerned about the Chinese announcement that it plans to hold a military drill in the waters off the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng said yesterday.

Việt Nam is deeply concerned about the Chinese announcement that it plans to hold a military drill in the waters off the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Bình

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is deeply concerned about the Chinese announcement that it plans to hold a military drill in the waters off the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Thursday.

In response to reporters’ queries about China’s move, Hằng asserted Việt Nam’s stance that all activities by foreign countries in waters belonging to Việt Nam’s sovereign right and jurisdiction should comply with Vietnamese legal regulations and international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Việt Nam asks China to end and not repeat actions that complicate the situation in the East Sea, she said.
Yesterday, a representative from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry met a counterpart from the Embassy of China in Hà Nội to make clear Việt Nam’s stance on the issue, she said.

In response to reporters’queries about the shooting of a missile over Japan by the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday, Hằng said the shooting is a serious violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and increases tensions in the region.

“Việt Nam is deeply concerned about the DPRK’s missile launch over Japan,” Hằng said.

“Việt Nam consistently supports all efforts to step up dialogues and maintain peace and stability in the Korean peninsula,” the spokeswoman said.

“Việt Nam also calls on the sides concerned to stringently comply with related resolutions of the UN Security Council and take constructive and pragmatic actions to contribute to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and the world,” she said. — VNS