China's maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have been challenged by Vietnam and other countries, and China has recently stepped up its coast guard law enforcement and scientific investigation in the Xisha and Nansha Islands to safeguard its sovereignty and interests. This made Vietnam unhappy, so Vietnam made a voice to the United Nations, hoping to restrain China through the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Vietnamese delegation to the United Nations, Deng Hoang Giang, expressed his views on the situation in the South China Sea while attending the 33rd Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He said that Vietnam is willing to peacefully resolve its dispute with China under the framework of the law of the sea. He also stressed that the Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international constitution in the field of oceans and should be respected and implemented by all countries, and that Viet Nam, as one of the founding countries of the Convention, will adhere to the Convention and encourage other countries to do the same.
Deng Huangjiang also said that peace, security and stability in the South China Sea region require relevant countries to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of coastal countries, refrain from taking any actions that could lead to tension and complications, and abide by international conventions. In addition, Viet Nam urged the United Nations to improve the procedures for the delimitation of the boundaries of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles so that Viet Nam could extend its maritime jurisdiction and protect marine biodiversity.
Vietnam's remarks seem reasonable, but in fact they have ulterior motives. First of all, the Convention on the Law of the Sea cannot solve the issue of territorial sovereignty, and Nanhai Zhudao is China's inherent territory, which is a historical and legal fact, and China published a map of the geographical location of the islands in the South China Sea as early as the 40s of the 20th century, clarifying the scope of its sovereignty. Therefore, Vietnam's attempt to deny China's sovereignty through the Convention on the Law of the Sea is unlikely to succeed and is also firmly opposed by us.
Second, Vietnam itself has not respected the sovereignty and jurisdiction of other countries, but has been encroaching on China's islands and reefs, violating China's fishing ban, and interfering with China's normal activities. Vietnam's statement at the United Nations is just to cover up its ambitions and try to make things happen in the South China Sea, which we cannot tolerate, and it is also the reason why we must step up patrols and law enforcement.