At a press conference on the afternoon of October 16, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang raised Vietnam's reaction to the recent incident between Chinese official ships and Philippine official ships in the territory of Thi Tu island in the Truong Sa archipelago of Vietnam.
"We would like to emphasize that Vietnam has sufficient historical and legal basis to affirm Vietnam's clear and distinct sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, including Thi Tu island" - Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said.
A spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "Regarding the incident that occurred within the territory of Thi Tu island, Vietnam is very concerned about the public information provided by the relevant parties."
Vietnam requests that relevant parties respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, restrain and act responsibly, respect international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982) and relevant international regulations on maritime security and safety, including the Regulations on collision prevention at sea (COLREG) issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), creating a favorable atmosphere for negotiating an effective, substantive and consistent Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), including UNCLOS 1982, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and security and safety in the East Sea and in the region.
