Hanoi (VNA) - The US Department of Defence issued a statement on April 9 expressing its deepconcern over a Chinese coast guard's collision with and sinking of a Vietnamese fishingvessel near Vietnam's Hoang Sa(Paracel) archipelago in the East Sea.

"China’s behaviour stands in contrast to the US's vision of afree and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small, aresecure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economicgrowth consistent with accepted international rules and norms," according to the statement.

The US will continue to support efforts to ensure freedom of navigation andeconomic opportunity throughout the entire Indo-Pacific, it said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of therules-based international order, as it sets the conditions that enable us toaddress this shared threat in a way that is transparent, focused, and effective”,it added.

The US called on all parties to refrain from actionsthat would destabilise the region, distract from the global response to thepandemic, or risk needlessly contributing to loss of life and property.

The Vietnamese vessel,number QNg 90617 TS, with eight fishermen on board, was hit and sankwhen it was fishing near Hoang Sa's Phu Lam island on April 2.

According to spokeswomanof the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnam lodgedan official complaint with China following the incident.

Whileanswering to reporters’ queries about the incident on April 3, Hang said that Vietnam hassufficient legal grounds and historical evidence affirming its sovereignty overHoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in accordance withinternational law, she said.

Such an act by the China coast guard ship violatesVietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel islands, causing damage, threatening thesafety of life and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.

🌳 It also went against thecommon perception of senior leaders of the two countries on the humanetreatment of fishermen and the Vietnam-China agreement on the basic principlesguiding the settlement of maritime issues, and in contrary to the spirit of theDeclaration of Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC), whichcomplicates the situation and is not conducive to the bilateral relations aswell as the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea,she said./.