The Viet Nam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) has protested China’s unilateral decision to ban fishing in the East Sea, saying it has no validity.

The Viet Nam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) has protested China’s unilateral decision to ban fishing in the East Sea, saying it has no validity.— VNA/VNS Photo

China’s Ministry of Agriculture published an announcement on its website that unilaterally adjusts the country’s fishing ban in the East Sea, including Viet Nam’s territorial waters. The ban will come into force from 1 May to 16 August, 2018.

The VINAFIS said that the ban will hamper fishing activities of Vietnamese fishermen and violates Viet Nam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago and the Tonkin Gulf territorial waters as well as its legitimate rights and interests.

It also breaks international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and related international legal documents, and runs counter to the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea signed between ASEAN and China in 2002, the VINAFIS said.

China’s action is not in line with the development trend of Viet Nam-China relations and hurts peace and stability in the region, it added.

The VINAFIS urged Vietnamese authorities to take measures to stop China’s action and increase patrols in the sea to protect fishermen and facilitate their fishing in Viet Nam’s waters.

On 22 March, the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang also declared that Viet Nam opposes and rejects China’s decision.

The spokeswoman stressed that Viet Nam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, as well as legitimate rights over its waters in line with the 1982 UNCLOS.

(Source: VNS)