At a press conference on the afternoon of May 14, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang raised Vietnam's reaction to China and the Philippines' recent activities at Hoai An Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago.
Ms. Pham Thu Hang emphasized: "The fact that relevant parties send people to the entity of the Truong Sa archipelago without Vietnam's permission is an act of infringing upon Vietnam's sovereignty under international law and goes against the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as the efforts of countries in negotiating the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) today".
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added: "Vietnam requests relevant parties to respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago, not to take actions that complicate the situation, comply with international law, seriously implement DOC, and actively contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea.
