The international community has continued to raise their voices to condemn China, since the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) positioned an oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981, in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Overseas Vietnamese in Germany take to the streets to oppose China’s violation of international law. (Photo: Vietnam+)

Jorge Alberto Kreyness, secretary of international relations of the Communist Party of Argentina has expressed his belief that both sides will seek to peacefully settle the issue based on international law.

Kreyness also stressed the importance of respecting Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. He highlighted the necessity of abiding by international law, and also the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Kreyness said most of the maritime and territorial conflicts in Latin America, including those between Argentina and Chile over islands in Beagle channel, were settled through peaceful measures. They were good examples for other countries to study, he added.

The General Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society (BVFS) Len Aldis on May 10 sent a letter to the Chinese Ambassador in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Liu Xiaoming to express his concern over the current situation in the East Sea issue due to the illegal presence of Chinese drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 in Vietnam’s territorial waters.

In his letter, Aldis stressed that BVFS, along with many nations and organisations worldwide, was deeply worried about the presence of China’s drilling rig and the large number of escort ships in Vietnam’s waters without the permission of the Vietnamese Government.

They have opposed these moves and demanded the Chinese government withdraw its oil rig and escort ships from Vietnam’s waters.

Aldis also expressed his hope that the Chinese Government would respond to the appeal from the international community and respect Vietnam’s sea sovereignty.

Overseas Vietnamese in many countries around the world on May 11 took to the streets to protest against China’s illegal placement of an oil rig in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. All the demonstrations took place in peace.

On May 11, over 500 Overseas Vietnamese and Japanese friends paraded to protest over China positioning an oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981, in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

They marched from Tokyo’s Aoyama Park, bearing banners in Vietnamese, Japanese and English calling for China to remove the rig immediately.

Vice President and Secretary General of the Association of Vietnamese People in Japan, Phan Huy Quoc said China’s deployment of the drilling rig was the latest provocative move after many earlier acts, such as cutting exploration cables on Vietnamese vessels, burning Vietnamese fishing boats and detaining Vietnamese fishermen.

The same day, the Vietnamese community in France released a statement denouncing China’s violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, following a meeting of representatives from many Vietnamese associations in Paris. They too demanded that China withdraw its oil rig and escort ships from Vietnam’s waters.

The statement underscored that China’s unilateral act seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, threatening regional security. It called for the international community to join together in opposing China’s dangerous behavior in order to ensure a world of peace and sustainable development.

Over 2,000 Overseas Vietnamese took to the streets on May 11 in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, carrying banners and placards calling for Vietnamese unity to protect the country's sovereignty over seas and islands and demanding China respect Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic protest over China’s illegal placement of an oil rig in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (Photo: Vietnam+)

The demonstrators included Overseas Vietnamese who are living and studying in many cities and provinces in Czech such as Prague, Ostava, Cheb, Brno, as well as Czech people. Together they sang the national anthem and revolutionary songs, with or without loudspeakers.

Meanwhile in Berlin, about 5,000 people held a rally in Potsdamer Platz to oppose China’s violation of international law.

Speaking in front of the crowd, Le Hong Cuong, head of the rally’s organisers, reiterated that China had positioned its rig in Lot 143, well within Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, before attacking and damaging ships from Vietnam’s Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance Authority.

Siegfried Sommer, Chairman of the German-Vietnam Association, who joined the rally, said China’s act in the East Sea was unacceptable as it ran counter to international law and caused insecurity in the region and the world.

People in Singapore also showed their anger at China’s act. They said they hope to get people around the world to understand the East Sea situation and recognise how Vietnamese people love peace and national independence and wish to avoid disputes.

Source: nhandan.com.vn