China asked to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang made the statement a

t a regular press conference of the Vietnam Foreign Ministry on September 9.

She reiterated Vietnam’s protest against China’s live-fire drill in the East Sea, saying the country

strongly protests this move of China, and strictly demands China to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa Archipelago and not to repeat the action and not harm peace and stability in the region and the East Sea.

Vietnam once again affirms the resolve to safeguard her sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the United Nations Charter and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The same day, Hang also responded to reporters’ question about the death of Nguyen Quoc Phi in Taiwan.

The Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office (VECO) in Taipei is still keeping a close watch and working closely with local agencies during the investigation into and settlement of the death of a Vietnamese citizen in Chinese Taiwan, Hang said.

She cited the VECO as saying that Phi’s family had come to Taiwan and the Taipei-based office had coordinated with local authorized agencies to help the family carry out relevant procedures.

The VECO coordinated with local agencies and asked them to promptly investigate the incident, Hang noted, adding that it will continue activities to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the deceased.

On August 31, the VECO had received official information about the death of Phi from competent agencies of Taiwan. It immediately requested the Taiwanese side to inquire into the case and coordinate with Vietnam in the incident settlement.