Maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully: Spokesperson
The Foreign Ministry spokeperson was responding to a reporter's question regarding July 12, 2025, which marked the 9th anniversary of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the East Sea arbitration case between the Philippines and China under Annex VII of UNCLOS.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang on July 17 reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent position that all maritime disputes must be resolved by peaceful means, with full respect for diplomatic and legal processes, without the use or threat of force, and in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The diplomat was responding to a reporter's question regarding July 12, 2025, which marked the 9th anniversary of the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the East Sea arbitration case between the Philippines and China under Annex VII of UNCLOS.
She noted Vietnam’s stance had already been clearly expressed in statements by the ministry’s spokesperson on July 12 in 2016 and 2021, and again on July 15, 2023.
Hang stated that the relevant parties must respect the rights of other nations and fully comply with their legal obligations under the 1982 UNCLOS. She urged them to actively and constructively cooperate to maintain peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, and uphold order in the East Sea in line with international law.
As both a UNCLOS member state and a littoral country bordering the East Sea, Vietnam considers the 1982 UNCLOS the sole legal basis comprehensively and thoroughly defining the scope of the right to maritime entitlements, she stressed.
All maritime claims by UNCLOS member states must be consistent with its provisions, Hang went on.
“Countries must fully respect the sovereignty, sovereign right🅺s, and jurisdiction of coastal states as established in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS,” she concluded./.
All research and survey activities of foreign countries conducted in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, which have been established in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), without Vietnam’s permission, violate the nation’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction, the spokeswoman stressed.
The Vietnamese representative also emphasised the shared responsibility of relevant parties to build trust, enhance cooperation, and jointly manage the risks of conflict, thus safeguarding long-term peace and stability in the East Sea.
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