Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh held talks with Vice Chairman of the Chinese Party Central Committee’s Military Commission Fan Changlong in Beijing on October 18 before concluding his visit to China.

On the occasion of PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Europe, VietNamNet talks with researchers Bruno Hellendorff and Felix Heiduk, about the role of EU in settling the East Sea disputes and the possibility of cooperation between EU and ASEAN.

VietNamNet Bridge - The steps taken by China, from Hainan to Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), from military and civilian coordination, show that China is looking for ways to implement the ambition of monopolizing the East Sea.

China’s efforts to construct a 2,000m airstrip on Phu Lam island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa are unfounded and do not alter the fact that Vietnam holds indisputable sovereign rights over the archipelago, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said.

 VietNamNet Bridge - For over 100 years, settling inland or marine disputes by international law has been chosen by many countries in the world.

China has been taking advantage of the strategic position of the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa in the East Sea to implement its ambitions of occupying the East Sea, seriously threatening freedom of navigation in an extremely important area of the world.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Multi-national groups are eyeing Vietnam as the new production base, deciding to relocate their factories to the country where they can outsource products at reasonable prices.

 All acts undertaken by other parties in Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes without Viet Nam’s permission are illegal, null and void, stated the Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 VietNamNet Bridge - It must be emphasized that the advisory opinion process of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will face political, diplomatic and legal barriers.

VietNamNet Bridge – The world media and scholars have repeatedly mentioned China’s ambition to occupy the East Sea with its plan to turn the Johnson South Reef (Gac Ma in Vietnamese) into an island

 Fifty people died in violence on Sunday in Xinjiang, Chinese state media said, in what police called a "serious terrorist attack".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh has reiterated the Vietnamese Government’s readiness to launch necessary measures to protect fishermen’s normal activities in traditional fishing grounds at a regular Foreign Ministry yesterday.

 An explosion at a fireworks factory in China has killed at least 12 people and injured 33 others, local government officials say.

 New data on carbon shows that China's emissions per head of population have surpassed the EU for the first time.

China has accelerated archaeological exploration to support its seeking of the UNESCO’s world heritage title for the "Silk Road on the Sea". If UNESCO recognizes the "Silk Road on the Sea", Vietnam's sovereignty in the East Sea will be affected

Along with submitting an application to UNESCO for recognition of the “Silk Road on the sea” as a world heritage, China states that it would conduct excavations of sunken ships around the islands of Hoang Sa and Quan Anh, parts of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa.

The honor of the Silk Road on the sea must be based on respect for international law,  independence and sovereignty of related countries, for the sake of peace and stronger friendship between peoples.

 China has been asked to deal with the beating and robbery of Vietnamese fishermen by its forces in the East Sea.

VietNamNet Bridge – The so-called “Silk Road Initiative” in the East Sea is part of China’s three-direction tactic, analyzed by Dr. Nguyen Hong Thao.

 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh on September 4 criticised China’s recent decision to launch tours of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago of Vietnam, considering it a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty.