Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made the statement on October 2 with regard to the Chinese law enforcement force’s suppression, injuring, and seizure of property of Vietnamese fishermen on fishing vessel QNg 95739 TS from central Quang Ngai province while the boat was operating in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago area on September 29.

She emphasised that the abovementioned acts by the Chinese law enforcement force had seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, infringed international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and run counter to the common perceptions of the two countries’ high-ranking leaders about better control and management of disputes at sea.

Vietnam is extremely concerned about, discontented with, and resolutely opposes the Chinese law enforcement force’s brutal behaviours towards the Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessel operating in Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago area, which injured, threatened the lives, and cause property damage to the Vietnamese fishermen, the spokeswoman said.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sternly communicated with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, strongly opposed the abovementioned acts by the Chinese law enforcement force, and demanded China to fully respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, quickly investigate and announce results to the Vietnamese side, and not repeat similar acts, Hang added./ VNA