No matter what its excuses, China’s armaments on illegally
occupied islands in the East Sea (South China Sea) show danger to regional
security.
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Photo released by CSIS and EPA in 2015 on China’s illegal land
reclamations on the Fiery Cross Reef of Vietnam’s Truong Sa Archipelago.
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Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese People’s
Liberation Army, at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 30, said that
Beijing uses artificial islands to "implement international
obligations".
He said that " international obligations and
responsibility" includes "search and rescue, prevent disasters,
marine scientific research, meteorological observations, environmental
protection, maritime safety, seafood production"...
In fact, when China began building two lighthouses on the reefs of
Chau Vien (Cuarteron) and Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) of the Truong Sa (Spratly
Islands) of Vietnam, China also made similar arguments.
Rear Admiral Le Ke Lam said that China’s actions were always
contrary to its statements.
"China said that the illegal construction of artificial
islands is to serve civic goals, scientific research, search and rescue ... but
when American planes patrolled over the area, they said that this area belongs
to China and asked US planes to go away,” Lam said.
“Obviously, the idiom ‘what is done by night appears by day’ is
correct for China’s plot in the East Sea,” the Rear Admiral said.
He added that China’s land reclamation works on reefs have
seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty and international law, especially the
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS).
"China’s act of turning the reefs of Vietnam that it
illegally occupies into military outposts is very dangerous, seriously
affecting security in the region and the world," Rear Admiral Lam said.
Le Van Cuong, former deputy head of the National Assembly
delegation of Thanh Hoa Province, emphasized that China has always taken
aggressive actions, making the situation in the East Sea more complicated and
infringing upon the sovereignty of Vietnam through the issuance of the fishing
ban in the East Sea, pulling HD-981 rig into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone
and continental shelf, and building artificial islands.
"Vietnam and many countries in the world have voiced strongly
against China’s actions but China has ignored them. China’s rapid construction
of artificial islands in Truong Sa archipelago of Vietnam clearly shows this
country’s expansionist scheme in the East Sea,” he said.
“No matter what its
excuses, China’s armaments on these artificial islands have shown the danger
that China poses to security in the region and the world. China not only
performs its plot to control the sea but also the air in this region, and furthermore,
it is realizing the so-called ‘nine-dash claim’ or the ridiculous ‘silk road’
in the East Sea," Cuong said.
Cuong also said that the positive intervention of the United
States against brazen actions of China in the East Sea is for their own interests
and its allies.
"Not only the US Defense Secretary, the State Secretary but
also the US President have made very strong statements, sent surveillance ships
and aircraft to monitor, and asked China to stop the illegal reclamation and
construction of islands. The US’s action is for their own sake but it makes
China more shy when doing brazen actions,” Cuong said.
He said that Vietnamese people were concerned about China’s
illegal action in the East Sea.
"In the early days of the ongoing National Assembly session,
many deputies made fierce response to illegal actions of China in the East Sea.
In addition to asking the Government to report on the situation of the East
Sea, the NA will have discussions on this matter,” he said.
Cuong said that the NA has to voice strongly to assert Vietnam’s
sovereignty in the East Sea and make specific and appropriate policies.
“I personally believe that
it is essential at this time, when the Chinese always say one thing and then do
another thing. That has had a big impact on our people's thoughts," Cuong
said.
Earlier, on the sidelines of the ongoing National Assembly
session, deputy Duong Trung Quoc also said that China's construction of
artificial islands in Truong Sa was more serious than its deployment of the
HD-981 oil rig.
"The National Assembly needs to show a clear attitude on the
East Sea. As NA deputies, we will have to answer the people to find a
consensus. Most importantly, it is the consensus of the people with the
leaders, those who are entrusted with the responsibility in the field of
diplomatic struggle," Quoc said.
Source: Vietnamnet
