On December 2, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang answered questions from reporters about Vietnam's reaction to Taiwan's announcement that it would conduct live-fire drills on November 29 in the waters around Ba Binh Island that belongs to Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

The spokesperson stated that Taiwan's holding of a live-fire drill in the waters around Ba Binh is a serious violation of Vietnam's territorial sovereignty over Truong Sa; threatens peace, stability, safety and security of navigation; causes tensions and complicates the situation in the East Sea.

She said: "Vietnam resolutely opposes this and demands that Taiwan cancel the illegal activity and not repeat similar violations."

Tran Thuong