Vietnam continues to
denounce China's illegal activities in and around Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly)
and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagoes, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le
Hai Binh said during a regular press briefing on Thursday.
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Ministry of Foreign
Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh at the press briefing July 24
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When asked to comment on
the information that China had dredged more than 1.7km of channels around Duy
Mong (Drummond) Island in Hoang Sa Islands to allow Chinese vessels to dock
there, he said Vietnam firmly maintains its incontestable claim to sovereignty
over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.
“All of China's activities
in the two archipelagos are illegal and void,” he said.
Binh told reporters that
Vietnam's security forces are keeping a close watch on China’s activities in
the East Sea--internationally known as the South China Sea.
When asked about the
changes in Vietnam-China relations after China’s illegal placement of Haiyang
Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnamese waters, the spokesman replied that Vietnam has
always sought normal relations with China and that bilateral economic relations
remain normal.
He denied a China Daily
reporter's suggestion that Vietnam Airlines would halt certain flights from
Vietnam to China in the near future.
When asked to comment on
the information that Finnish customs authorities recently seized a suspected
shipment of Vietnamese military equipment bound for Ukraine, Binh said the
equipment had been sent to Ukraine for repair and maintenance.
The activity was undertaken
through an established bilateral defense cooperation, he said.
He added that the
arrangement complied with international laws and practices and that Vietnamese
agencies are working with relevant sides to resolve Finnish customs concerns.
Reporters also inquired
about a case in which a Chinese man assaulted five Vietnamese women with a
knife, killing three and injuring two, in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region near the border on July 22.
Binh said Vietnam’s
diplomatic representatives in China are working with relevant agencies to
verify the details of the crime, including the identities of the victims.
Vietnam's diplomatic core has also urged Chinese authorities to treat the
injured victims well and do their utmost to bring the killer to justice.
Source: thanhnien news
