On the afternoon of May 29, at a regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, spokesperson Pham Thu Hang answered a number of questions related to the situation in the East Sea.
Responding to a question about Reuters news agency citing satellite images showing two Chinese aircraft landing in Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago on May 28, Ms. Pham Thu Hang said: "We are verifying this information."
Regarding the request for comments regarding the recent Chinese China Department announcing that the Chinese military will organize real bullets in the South China Sea from May 27 to 30, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized: "The area where China announced the actual shooting exercise is in the Chinese waters."
China's Maritime Administration announced on May 26 that the Chinese military will organize a live-fire exercise in the East Sea from May 27-30. The exercise took place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 27 to 30 in an area in the Gulf of Tonkin, near Hainan Island.
The announcement of the China Maritime Administration did not specify which forces participated or the expected developments of the exercise, but only announced the regional coordinates for the exercise.
China's Maritime Administration declared all maritime activities banned in the area during the above period.
The Chinese military is also scheduled to conduct a military exercise in Bothai Bay in Hoang Hai from May 27-31.
Previously, on May 20, the Chinese military began a 3-day live-fire drill in the East Sea and banned ships from moving into the area.
