Vietnam has affirmed its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly)
archipelagos and protested against China’s recent acts relating to the two
archipelagos.

“The Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos are inseparable parts of Vietnam’s
territory,” the Vietnam Foreign Ministry’s representative told the Chinese
Embassy’s representative in Hanoi, in response to China’s acts violating
Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two archipelagos.

Recently, the State Oceanic Administration of China released the “2011 China
Ocean Development Report”, in which it claimed China’s sovereignty over the East
Sea and the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, printed some maps drawing the
“U-shaped line” claim on the East Sea, unveiled its plan on exploration of oil
and gas in the Truong Sa archipelago area and launch of tours to the Hoang Sa
archipelago.

Additionally, on May 16, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that
China Mobile announced expanded mobile services coverage to include the Truong
Sa archipelago area.

During the meeting with the Chinese Embassy’s representative, the Vietnamese
side stressed that China’s acts violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two
archipelagos and Vietnam’s rights of sovereignty and jurisdiction over the
exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in line with the 1982 UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea.

All acts of other countries including release of reports, issuance of legal
documents relating to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos as well as the
exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam without the nation’s
permission have no legal value, the Vietnamese representative said.

Vietnam requested that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the two
archipelagos, attach importance to the two countries’ relations, build trust and
not undertake any actions to make the situation on the sea more complicated.

VietNamNet/VietnamPlus