HCMC - Vietnam has resolutely objected to China’s establishment of the so-called Sansha City and the operation of Chinese companies on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang stated at a press briefing on October 15.

According to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China has registered over 400 private and state-owned enterprises in the illegally established Sansha City on Phu Lam (Woody) Island, which is part of Vietnam’s Paracel Archipelago. Hang said the establishment of the so-called Sansha City as well as the operation of Chinese companies on the archipelago and related activities are illegal, invalid, and seriously violate Vietnam's sovereignty, complicate the situation in the East Sea and the region and are not beneficial to the relationship between the two countries. “Vietnam has sufficient historical and legal evidence of its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos,” she stressed. Regarding a recent statement by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun that proposed increasing cooperation between the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the ASEAN in several areas, including ensuring freedom of navigation at sea, Hang noted that Vietnam always welcomes initiatives and ideas that contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region. As Chair of ASEAN 2020, Vietnam has set the main goal of building a united and proactive ASEAN for its Chairmanship year. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad, is a strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.