New Delhi (VNA) – Vietnam has respected rights of countries in the East (South China) Sea, including overflight and navigation freedom and trade without restriction, in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), said Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh.
In his speech at a workshop hosted by the working group of alternative strategies (WGAS) in New Delhi on December 1, Thanh assured that Vietnam has sovereign right and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone in the East Sea, and asked other countries to respect these in accordance with the UNCLOS.
Regarding territorial disputes in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, the diplomat said Vietnam has full legal basis and historical evidence to attest its sovereignty over the archipelagos.
He also highlighted Vietnam’s consistent stance of solving disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures, and in line with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982, adding that parties involved should exercise self-restraint, not use force or threaten to use force, avoid unilateral action and militarisation when addressing disputes.
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