He expressed his concern about the tension in the sea on Monday after Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung briefed him on China’s illegal placement of the oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 within Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone since May 1.
By planting the platform in Vietnamese waters, China has not only violated Vietnam’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the sea but also breached the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which both China and Vietnam are signatories, PM Dung said.
In addition, China’s wrongful act jeopardizes peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the waters, the premier added.
In reply, the Italian leader affirmed that Italy shares the EU and G7 Group’s viewpoint, which are deeply concerned about the current East Sea situation, and prefers all parties to exercise restraint and settle their disputes through peaceful measures based on international law.
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