All countries should adhere to international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

Hang made the comment while answering a question regarding information that an Australian plane was disturbed by a Chinese fighter jet in the airspace belonging to Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, at a regular press conference held by the ministry on June 9.

Nations should not escalate tensions in the region and they should make practical contributions to maintaining peace, stability, security, order, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large, she continued.

“Vietnam once again asserts that it has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa archipelagoes,” she stressed.

On this occasion, Hang also replied to a question regarding Cambodia’s construction of the Ream Naval Base, which began on June 8. Western officials held that it is to serve the Chinese army to increase China’s influence in Indo-Pacific.

In this regard, the spokeswoman reiterated Vietnam’s consistent viewpoints that the country always wishes to maintain and consolidate its good cooperative ties with countries worldwide, and that cooperation between countries should benefit peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region and the world./.

Source: VNA