Regarding the fact that China has positioned illegally an oil rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters, Vice Commander and Chief of Staff of the Vietnam Coast Guard Ngo Ngoc Thu affirmed that Vietnam’s law enforcement forces are determined to protect its sovereignty and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Colonel Ngo Ngoc Thu at the press conference

The affirmation was made at an international press conference held on May 7th in Hanoi.

The conference informed both domestic and international reporters of specific details on the illegal acts of China.

According to Ngo Mai Thinh, a representative from the Fisheries Surveillance Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on May 1st, while patrolling and inspecting in the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam, Vietnamese fishery surveillance vessels detected Chinese drilling rig HD-981 and Chinese protection forces moving southwards and violating the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam.

When Vietnamese fishery surveillance ships were trying to dissuade the Chinese forces from violating Vietnam’s territorial waters, driving away their ships and preventing the wrong act, the Chinese side continued its move and at the same time deployed more forces in order to position the oil rig.

Thinh said that Chinese marine police ships proactively rammed into and fired water cannon at Vietnamese vessels, causing damage to Vietnamese ships.

Vice Commander Ngo Ngoc Thu held that Vietnam’s law enforcement force opportunely arrived in the scene to stop the Chinese illegal intrusion into Vietnam’s territorial waters. They signaled to request the Chinese side to move away the oil rig and vessels from Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Thu added that so far China has deployed about 80 vessels of different kinds, including 7 military ships to protect the oil rig.

When Vietnam’s law enforcement ships arrived to stop the illegal intrusion of the Chinese side, Chinese ships, with air support, aggressively fired water cannon at and even rammed into Vietnamese vessels, damaging Vietnam’s coast guard vessels and injuring crew members, Thu said.

Chinese ships agressively fired water cannons into Vietnam's vessels.

Vice Commander Ngo Ngoc Thu emphasized that Vietnam’s law enforcement force exercised utmost restraint in the face of Chinese ships’ aggressive acts.

Vietnam’s law enforcement forces have been firmly protecting Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over its Hoang Sa Archipelago, its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Thu reiterated that Vietnam’s armed forces were not at the scene and did not drive away Chinese forces.

Answering queries from reporters, Vice Commander Ngo Ngoc Thu said that the move of the HD-981 oil rig is followed closely. Vietnam advocates using peaceful measures to settle issues in the East Sea. “We will continue discussing issues in the East Sea with the Chinese side”, Thu said.

He added that “for its legitimate rights and interests in the East Sea, Vietnam will use all peaceful measures regulated in the international laws and UN Chapter to protect its rights”.

Regarding Chinese vessels ramming into Vietnamese ships and causing damage to them, Thu said that: “Vietnam’s marine police and fisheries surveillance forces continue exercising full restraint. However, endurance has its own limit. If Chinese vessels keep ramming into Vietnamese ships, the Vietnamese side will act in self-defence”.

Chinese ship intentionally rammed into Vietnam Coast Guard's ship

On diplomatic aspect, Deputy Director of the National Border Commission under the Foreign Ministry Tran Duy Hai said that Vietnam has many times discussed with the Chinese side on the issue. Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence contacted the military attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, while PetroVietnam’s General Director sent a letter to China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s CEO. The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry alone seriously discussed the issue 8 times with the Chinese side in Hanoi and Beijing.

Attentively, on the afternoon of May 6th, Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh spoke on the phone with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi. Earlier, on May 4th, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the Vietnamese Government negotiation delegation on border and territory Ho Xuan Son discussed the issue over the phone with his Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin, opposing illegal operation of the HD-981 oil rig on the Vietnam’s continental shelf. The same day, representatives from the Foreign Ministry met representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and handed over a ministerial diplomatic note to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Tran Duy Hai said that during those discussions and meetings, the Vietnamese side always affirmed and emphasized that the HD-981 oil rig and Chinese escort vessels are operating in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf and that such an operation has seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty and jurisdiction regulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982 (UNCLOS 1982) and Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in 2002, as well as related agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders and the agreement on the fundamental principles guiding the settlement of issues at sea between Vietnam and China.

Vietnam requested China to immediately withdraw the drilling rig and vessels from Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Hai reiterated that Vietnam has full historical evidence and legal foundations to affirm its sovereignty over its two archipelagos, namely Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly), as well as the right to enjoy its sovereignty and jurisdiction towards its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in line with the UNCLOS 1982.

“Vietnam demands China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa Archipelagos and its sovereignty and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf”, Hai said.

According to Hai, Vietnam asked China to settle disputes relating to sovereignty and jurisdiction in the East Sea via negotiations and peaceful measures, in line with international laws, including the UN Charter and the UNCLOS 1982.

Source: qdnd.vn