VietNamNet Bridge - Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga on March 10 opposed Taiwan’s training on artillery shelling around Ba Binh island of the Truong Sa archipelago, saying that the act seriously violated Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty.

Nga said that Taiwan’s artillery shelling drill around Ba Binh island of Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago seriously violated the country’s sea and island sovereignty, thereby causing tensions,,complicating the regional situation and directly threatening maritime security, especially for travel of boats and fishing.

“Vietnam requests the Taiwanese side to immediately end this action and not repeat such activity,” she emphasized.

On Vietnam’s response to the official announcement of Chinese Hainan province’s socio-economic plan, the spokesperson said that on March 3, Hainan provincial authorities announced the 12th five-year Socio-economic Development Plan Summary which mentioned creating plans for exploitation of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes (called “Xisha” and “Nansha” in the Summary) and surrounding territorial waters, strengthening Hoang Sa tourism development and building fishery logistics in Hoang Sa.

She said that the Chinese side’s act seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, going against the common awareness of the two countries’ high-ranking leaders on the maintenance of peace, stability and not making the situation in the East Sea more complicated, and running contrary to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

“Vietnam resolutely opposes this act and requests China to repeal all contents violating Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes in the above-mention summary,” the spokesperson said.

Thuy Chung