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 closely follows the situation in the Middle East and welcomes all efforts to re-start the Middle East peace process, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on January 31.

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.