Vietnam demands China withdraw vessels from the former's waters

Vietnam has required that China pull its survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, Coast Guard vessels, and fishing ships from Vietnamese waters, Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. Hang affirmed that survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10, Coast Guard vessels, and fishing ships flying Chinese flags had entered Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the East Vietnam Sea. The China Maritime Safety Administration under the Chinese Ministry of Transport on Wednesday announced the placement of three light buoys in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago. Gaven Reefs in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago is under Vietnam’s sovereignty but it has been illegally occupied and modified by China. In response, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at its press conference last Thursday, said Vietnam protests actions that violate Vietnamese sovereignty over the group of islands.