Việt Nam protests China's unilateral fishing ban in East Sea

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Thursday denounced China's annual fishing ban, which this year takes place from May 1 to August 16, over many stretches of the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea). Responding to reporters' questions during the regular press conference held in Hà Nội, Deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Đoàn Khắc Việt stated that Việt Nam's positions on China's unilateral fishing ban in the East Sea has been consistent and clearly reiterated in the past few years. "China's 'fishing ban' not only violates our sovereignty towards the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) archipelago, but also Việt Nam's sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as delineated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," Việt said. Deputy spokesperson Việt also noted that all future high-level visits between Việt Nam and the US leaders will be made public at an appropriate time. "Việt Nam hopes that the parties will actively contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the deputy spokesperson added.