Hanoi (VNA) – TheUS on April 6 said it was "seriously concerned" about China'sreported sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the East Sea.
In its statement, the US Department of State said this incident is the latest in a long string of China’sactions in the East Sea amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It urged China to instead focus on supporting internationalefforts to fight the global pandemic.
Regarding this incident, arepresentative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a meeting witha representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and presented a protestdiplomatic note asking the Chinese side to investigate, clarify and strictlyhandle the civil servants and the Chinese coast guard vessel causing theincident, not to repeat similar actions, and at the same time adequatelycompensate for the losses of Vietnamese fishermen.
On April 3, Spokeswoman of the VietnameseForeign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang quoted the country’s relevant agencies asreporting that the Vietnamese vessel, coded QNg 90617 TS, with eightfishermen on board, was fishing near Phu Lam island of Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago on April 2 when a Chinese coast guard ship hit and sank it.
She noted Vietnam has repeatedlyaffirmed that it has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence testifyingto its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly)archipelagoes in accordance with international law.
Such an act by the Chinese coast guard ship violatesVietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, caused damage, and threatenedthe safety of life and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.
It also went against the common perception of thetwo countries’ leaders on the humane treatment of fishermen and theVietnam-China agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-relatedissues, and was in contrary to the spirit of the Declaration on Conduct of theParties in the East Sea (DOC). The move complicated the situation and was notconducive to the bilateral relations as well as the maintenance of peace,stability and cooperation in the East Sea, according to the spokeswoman./.
In its statement, the US Department of State said this incident is the latest in a long string of China’sactions in the East Sea amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It urged China to instead focus on supporting internationalefforts to fight the global pandemic.
Regarding this incident, arepresentative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a meeting witha representative of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and presented a protestdiplomatic note asking the Chinese side to investigate, clarify and strictlyhandle the civil servants and the Chinese coast guard vessel causing theincident, not to repeat similar actions, and at the same time adequatelycompensate for the losses of Vietnamese fishermen.
On April 3, Spokeswoman of the VietnameseForeign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang quoted the country’s relevant agencies asreporting that the Vietnamese vessel, coded QNg 90617 TS, with eightfishermen on board, was fishing near Phu Lam island of Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago on April 2 when a Chinese coast guard ship hit and sank it.
She noted Vietnam has repeatedlyaffirmed that it has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence testifyingto its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly)archipelagoes in accordance with international law.
Such an act by the Chinese coast guard ship violatesVietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, caused damage, and threatenedthe safety of life and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen.
It also went against the common perception of thetwo countries’ leaders on the humane treatment of fishermen and theVietnam-China agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-relatedissues, and was in contrary to the spirit of the Declaration on Conduct of theParties in the East Sea (DOC). The move complicated the situation and was notconducive to the bilateral relations as well as the maintenance of peace,stability and cooperation in the East Sea, according to the spokeswoman./.
VNA
