Countries show respect for Vietnam’s right regarding submission on limits of extended continental shelf in East Sea

Vietnam presented the Submission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines in respect of the central area of the East Sea to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in New York on Wednesday (local time).

Pham Thu Hang, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on Thursday that to express its goodwill and sense of responsibility, Vietnam has informed relevant countries about the issue via the diplomatic channel.

The opinion exchanges took place in a sincere, friendly, and straightforward manner, Hang said.

The countries took note of and showed their respect for Vietnam’s right regarding the presentation of the submission, which accords with Article 76 of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to the spokeswoman.

Hang said Vietnam’s viewpoint is reflected clearly in the ministry’s statement on the country’s presentation of the submission.

The statement said Vietnam has fully legal and scientific bases to assert that it is entitled to a continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

It said Vietnam reaffirms its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands under international law, and the rights over its maritime zones in the East Sea established in accordance with UNCLOS.

At the same time, Vietnam stands ready and committed to resolve and manage all disputes and differences over territorial sovereignty related to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Islands and maritime delimitation between Viet Nam and relevant coastal states in the East Sea by peaceful means and along with countries in the region and the international community, to maintain peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation, overflight, and sustainable development in the East Sea in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS, it added.

The Wednesday submission is the third by Vietnam. In May 2009, Vietnam submitted a separate submission in respect of the north area of the East Sea and a joint submission with Malaysia in respect of the southern part of the East Sea.