Vietnamese diplomat lodges protest against China at UN

He said China continued to send more escort ships to guard the oil rig placed illegally in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Viet Nam since early May.

Chinese ships intentionally collided with, utilizing high-power water cannons, violently attacked Vietnamese law enforcement vessels and fishing boats, causing both human injuries and property damage.

Ambassador Trung emphasized that China’s aggressive and barbarous acts violate international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and threaten safety, security and freedom of navigation in the East Sea.

The diplomat briefed Under-Secretary Jeffrey about the legal and historical grounds to prove Viet Nam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago.

Viet Nam has exercised its utmost restraint and conducted serious communication with the Chinese side to demand China withdraw its oil rig as well as escort ships from Viet Nam’s waters, said Ambassador Trung.

He urged the UN and the international community to continue supporting Viet Nam’s goodwill, and called on China not to undertake any more unilateral acts to escalate tensions in the region.

Under-Secretary Jeffrey Feltman thanked the Vietnamese delegation for the updated information and welcomed Viet Nam’s policy to settle disputes through peaceful measures in accordance with international law.

He said that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is following closely the current situation in the East Sea.

The UN Under-Secretary stressed on the importance of the East Sea, calling on parties involved to exercise self-restraint and resolve disputes through dialogue and other peaceful solutions in accordance with the UN Charter and international law./.

By Huong Giang