Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesman, Le Hai Binh, made the demand at a press briefing in Hanoi on Thursday in reply to media questions about the Southeast Asian country’s response to a statement by China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang, on the illicit building activities of China in the waters.
The statement says, “The construction activities on the Nansha [which is what China calls Vietnam’s Truong Sa] islands and reefs fall within the scope of China’s sovereignty, and are lawful, reasonable and justified.”
Kang’s statement was shown in a press release published on the website of the Chinese Minsitry of Foreign Affairs on June 16.
He also said that the land reclamation projects China is conducting on some islands and reefs of Truong Sa will be completed in the upcoming days. “After the land reclamation, we will start the building of facilities to meet relevant functional requirements,” the press release quoted Kang as saying.
Regarding it, Binh said China’s building and expanding of islands and reefs in Truong Sa are illegal, and such activities never change the reality that Vietnam has full legal foundation and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over Truong Sa.