Foreign experts have condemned China’s recent actions in the East Sea, saying its moves have escalated tensions in the region and infringed upon international law.

China’s circulation of a number of diplomatic notes at the United Nations (UN) that raise unreasonable sovereignty claims over Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos as well as maritime claims in the East Sea

Following China’s announcement of establishing the so-called “Xisha district” (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago) and “Nansha district” (Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago), international experts have condemned the move, saying it breaks international law.

Vietnam supports the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the UNSC to strengthen their cooperation in line with the UN Charter, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

Vietnam and China held the 12th round of negotiations of the working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should exert more efforts to enhance internal integrity so as to flexibly cope with external challenges and impact, Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich said on November 17.

It is necessary to maintain and respect international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in the settlement of disputes in the East Sea, Swiss lawyer Pierre Schifferli has said.

A high-ranking military delegation of Vietnam is taking part in the 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum that opened in Beijing on October 21.

China’s deployment of survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi-8 to Tu Chinh reef (Vanguard Bank) in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has violated international law, Associate Prof. Ryan Martinson of the US Naval War College said.

Defence Secretary of the Philippines Delfin Lorenzana on July 30 criticized China for what he called "bullying" actions in the East Sea and said Beijing's peaceful assurances contrast with its behaviour in the contested waters.

 Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh has urged China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and international law in response to reporters’ question relating to recent actions by China in Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Twenty-six police officers from Ha Noi and other localities are meeting in the capital city for a training programme to combat people smuggling and human trafficking in the region.

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

 VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam is facing major responsibility that history has entrusted: It is to use international law to maintain peace in a vital area of the world.

VietNamNet Bridge – All actions taken by parties in the East Sea must abide by international law, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said on July 31 in reply to a question on China’s on-going military exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin

 VietNamNet Bridge – The so-called “U-shaped” line China has drawn by itself in the East Sea as well as its recent moves are the main causes of the complicated and tense situation in the region.

 VietNamNet Bridge – China’s placement of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone threatens peace in Southeast Asia and the world as a whole, noted an Argentine professor.

 VietNamNet Bridge – MA. Hoang Viet, a HCM City Law University lecturer has performed an in-depth analysis of China’s “expansion” ambitions in the East Sea, concluding they are a proposition that borders on the absurd.

At several international seminars recently, some senior officials, generals, diplomats and scholars of China claimed that the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 is positioned within the exclusive economic zone of Hoang Sa archipelago of China.