HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam on Thursday accused a Chinese language survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty, and demanded that Beijing take away the ships from its waters.
Vietnam and China have lengthy been embroiled in a territorial dispute over a probably energy-rich stretch within the South China Sea, a strategic waterway by which greater than $3 trillion of commerce passes yearly.
“Vietnam calls for that China instantly take away the survey ship Xiang Yang Hong 10, Chinese language coast guard ships and fishing vessels out of Vietnam’s waters,” overseas ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Grasp mentioned in a authorities assertion.
“Vietnam has made contact with China a number of instances and carried out measures in accordance with worldwide regulation and Vietnamese regulation to make sure lawful and bonafide rights and pursuits of Vietnam,” the assertion added.
The Chinese language embassy in Hanoi didn’t instantly reply to a request for a remark.
Final week Vietnam criticised current conduct by a Chinese language analysis ship in the identical space of the Southeast Asian nation’s Unique Financial Zone (EEZ).
China has mentioned that scientific analysis is a traditional exercise in areas underneath Chinese language jurisdiction.
China claims virtually the whole South China Sea as its territory, primarily based on what it says are previous maps, together with waters that lie inside Vietnam’s EEZ and 4 different Southeast Asian international locations.
Grasp additionally mentioned Vietnam referred to as on the worldwide neighborhood to affix its efforts in sustaining order, peace and safety within the South China Sea and contributing to the event of the 2 international locations’ mutual pursuits.
(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Enhancing by Kanupriya Kapoor)