China’s plan to carry out military exercises in an area that covers Viet Nam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) in the East Sea has once again seriously violated Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelago, said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh on July 4.

He made the statement while fielding reporters’ queries over the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration’s announcement on July 3 of a drill, which is scheduled to take place between July 5 and 11, with its scale covering the Vietnamese archipelago.

China's ​illegal construction on Viet Nam's Fiery Cross Reef in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago (Photo: DPA)

Binh said the action runs counter to common perception of senior leaders from both countries, and defies international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

Viet Nam strongly objects to the exercises and demands that China respect Viet Nam’s sovereignty, behave in a responsible manner and immediately end and not to conduct actions that threaten maritime security and safety in the East Sea or escalate tension in the region.

(Source: VNA)