According to Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Hai Binh, since the previous press conference on May 7 on China ’s illegal placement of Haiyang Shiyou- 981 in Vietnam ’s waters, Vietnam has showed utmost restraint and exhausted all peaceful measures, opportunity and dialogue channels to settle the issue in a peaceful manner.
On the contrary, China has continued sending its ships, including military vessels, and military aircraft to the area surrounding its oil rig to threaten and intimidate Vietnamese law enforcement forces who are carrying out their mission of protecting the country’s sovereignty, he said.
Meanwhile, Tran Duy Hai, Deputy Director of the National Boundary Commission, stated that Vietnam has full legal foundation and historical evidence to strongly prove its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.
For centuries (at least since the 17th century), Vietnam has established and practiced its sovereignty over the two archipelagoes when they were still derelict, he said.
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