The US welcomes China's declaration on its removal of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 from the position near Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago to an area near China’s Hainan Island.

This statement was made by US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki at a press briefing on July 17.

“The oil rig incident has highlighted the need for claimants to clarify their claims in accordance with international law to reach a shared understanding on appropriate behavior and activities in disputed areas”, spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki

The US official stated that her nation supports parties concerned in voluntarily stopping unilateral provocative actions aiming to accelerate the implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea signed by China and ASEAN.

She declined to comment on China’s displacement of the drilling rig while noting that US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed issues related to navigation in the East Sea and expressed concern over the East Sea tensions during his visit to Beijing last week.

Regarding US stance on the Chinese Government announcing its continued exploration activities in disputed areas, the US State Department spokesperson said the US has national interests in maintaining peace and stability and respecting international law and legitimate commercial activities and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

Vietnam has repeatedly asserted the area where the Chinese drilling rig 981 has operated from early May until now belongs to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.

The operations of the rig and escort ships over the past two months are completely illegal, violating regulations as prescribed by international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).