Vietnam vehemently opposes the use of or threat to use force against its vessels, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Hai Binh said at a press briefing in Hanoi on Friday, Tuoi Tre News reported.
Binh made the statement in reply to reporters’ questions about the reports that some Chinese coast guard and military ships threatened to use force against a Vietnamese supply ship off Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago a fortnight ago, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Vietnam’s competent agencies are verifying the location where the incident took place and other relevant issues in order to take proper diplomatic measures, he added.
The spokesman affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance of resolutely protesting against any actions that use or threaten to use force against Vietnamese vessels.
“These actions infringe international law, run counter to the spirit and wording of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Vietnam Sea, seriously menace peace and stability in the region, and are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable,” Binh said.
The incident in question happened on Nov 13, when four Chinese vessels, including two coast guard ships and a warship, bullied and scared away the Vietnamese supply ship Hai Dang 05 off Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago, the captain of the local boat, Tran Van Nga, said.
The incident occurred when Hai Dang 05 was on a mission of giving supplies to the staff of the lighthouses in Truong Sa, Captain Nga said.