Hundreds of overseas Vietnamese (OV) in Frankfurt am Main and its neighbouring regions on February 28 staged a demonstration at the Chinese Consulate-General in Germany to protest China’s military actions in the East Sea, which have escalated tension.

Hundreds of overseas Vietnamese attends the demonstration.

They held a ceremony to commemorate heroes and martyrs who laid down their lives to protect the nation’s sovereignty and borders.

Wearing red t-shirts printed with a gold star, the demonstrators handed out leaflets popularising Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos in the East Sea. They shouted slogans and held up banners opposing China’s pilot flights to an illegally built airport on Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) reef as well as deployment of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Phu Lam island and continued activities to transform island and reef into military bases.

The demonstrators then moved to Roemer Square to disseminate the information on Vietnam’s land and islands. The protest drew attention from locals and tourists visiting Frankfurt.

At a regular press conference held on February 25, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said “Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos”.

The spokesman said China’s acts, regardless of objections and concerns raised by Vietnam and the international community, not only seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty and accelerate militarisation in the East Sea, but also threaten peace and stability in the region, as well as maritime and aviation security, safety and freedom in the Sea.

“Vietnam strongly opposes actions that seriously infringed on its sovereignty and demands China act responsibly to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world with respect for international laws such as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC),” Binh said.

Despite the cold weather, a large number of Vietnamese in Frankfurt, Germany, carried flags and banners to the Chinese Consulate General on Sunday to protest the recent aggressive moves by China in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea).       This is the fourth rally of the Vietnamese community in Frankfurt since China illegally placed the HD-981 oil rig in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam in 2014 and has since made new aggressive moves in the East Sea. China is reportedly going to militarize this region by deploying missiles, fighter jets and radars to the reefs and islands belonging to the Hoang Sa Archipelago (Paracel Islands) and Truong Sa Archipelago (Spratlys Islands) of Vietnam.       The protesters were escorted and led the way into the downtown area by the police.         A Buddhist German who participated in the marches expressed his support for the purpose of the rally and called on Beijing to respect the international law and conventions to maintain peace in the East Sea.       Participants also took a minute to commemorate people who sacrificed their lives to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Vietnam.       A protest letter document written in Vietnamese, German and English was read in front of the Chinese Consulate General.     In a temperature of about 2 degrees Celsius, protesters marched through the streets toward the Romerberg Square, where the city's town hall is located, and stood along the street in front of the Chinese Consulate General.       They raised banners in several languages and chanted the slogan "Hoang Sa - Truong Sa belong to Vietnam", "China must respect international law of the UNCLOS and DOC," "Vietnam loves peace" ...     The rally attracted the attention of local people and tourists.       Many pamphlets were also distributed to people along the road so that they could better understand the wrongful acts that disregard international law and standards of China. Earlier, the latest move by China in the East Sea faced strong reactions from many countries such as the USA, Australia, Japan ... Vietnam once again confirmed its indisputable sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Archipelagoes, and resolutely opposed China’s actions that seriously violate Vietnam's sovereignty.

VNA/VNE/VNN