Global Courant
HANOI – Vietnam is protesting China’s installation of two automatic ship identification stations in the Paracel Islands, saying it is a violation of the Southeast Asian country’s sovereignty.
“Any activities in the Paracel Islands without Vietnam’s consent violate the country’s sovereignty and are completely invalid,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Pham Thu Hang said in a statement on the website.
The statement followed media reports of Chinese-built ship identification stations in North Reef and Bombay Reef in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
This is not the first time Vietnam has urged China to respect its sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea.
The Southeast Asian country previously asked its neighbor to end tourism activities on the islands of Paracel and Spratly and to refrain from military exercises in the disputed waters.
Vietnam’s concerns came as the Philippines said it had removed a floating barrier installed by Beijing in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, in what has become the latest flashpoint in growing tensions between the two countries.
Both Vietnam and the Philippines were among a group of countries that have opposed China’s new official map, arguing that it violates their sovereignty. BLOOMBERG
