China's oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981

The situation in the East Sea drew great attention from participants at a ceremony marking the Swiss Party of Labour’s 70th anniversary and the Festival of Nations in Geneva on July 6.

Addressed the event as honorary guest, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Geneva, updated the audience on the socio-economic situation in Vietnam and the tension on the East Sea since China illegally placed its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone in early May.

Thanh explained in details how disputes began over Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes in the East Sea, and at the same time affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance of using all peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to settle these disputes, contributing to maintain peace and stability in the region and the world.

Recently, friendship associations with Vietnam in several European nations, including Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands, issued a joint statement and a joint resolution strongly protesting China’s violations of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and international law.

With support from the Festival of Nations’ organising board, the Switzerland-Vietnam Association showcased documents on Vietnam’s land and people as well as the country’s sovereignty and viewpoint on territorial disputes in the East Sea.

VNA