Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippine Departmentof Foreign Affairs (DFA) on April 8 issued a statement expressing its deepconcern over a China coast guard ship’s hitting and sinking of a Vietnamesefishing vessel in the East Sea.

The statement said the Philippines’ ownsimilar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost by it.

The DFA said it always values the maintenanceof peace and stability in the East Sea and notes that such incidents underminethe potential of a genuinely deep and trusting regional relationship betweenthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. Given the positivemomentum on the discussions on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), it iscrucial to avoid such incidents and address that differences in a manner thatenhances dialogue and mutual trust.

There is never a good time to indulge inprovocations, the DFA said, adding that the continued strengthening of regionalrelations is especially critical in light of the ASEAN-China joint commitmentto collectively tackle the ongoing crisis brought about by the COVID-19pandemic, as declared in the Statement of the Special ASEAN-China ForeignMinisters’ Meeting on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), issued on February20, 2020.

The DFA recalled Vietnam’shumanitarian act of directly saving the lives of Filipino fishermen, stressingthat it created much trust. “We have not stopped and will not stop thankingVietnam. It is with that in mind that we issue this statement of solidarity.”

The Vietnamese vessel,number QNg 90617 TS, with eight fishermen on board, was fishing nearPhu Lam island of Hoang Sa (Paracel archipelago on April 2 when a China coastguard ship hit and sank it.

While answering to reporters’ queries about the incident, spokeswoman ofthe Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on April 3 thatVietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming itssovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos inaccordance with international law.

Such an act by the China coast guard ship violates Vietnam’ssovereignty over the Paracel islands, causing damage, threatening the safety oflife and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.

It also went against the common perception of senior leaders ofthe two countries on the humane treatment of fishermen and the Vietnam-Chinaagreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of maritime issues,and in contrary to the spirit of the Declaration of Conduct of the Parties inthe East Sea (DOC), which complicates the situation and is not conduciveto the bilateral relations as well as the maintenance of peace, stability andcooperation in the East Sea, she said./.