Vietnam is protesting about China’s move to expand construction on the disputed Spratly islands, which Vietnam calls Truong Sa, in the South China Sea.
“Vietnam strongly protests and demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty and immediately stop its illegal activities in the area of Truong Sa archipelago and that China strictly adhere to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” Vietnam foreign ministry’s vice spokeswoman, Pham Thu Hang, said in a statement. The declaration refers to a dispute-resolution pact that China and the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed in 2002.
“China’s move to illegally build and expand construction on the reefs and make changes to the area of the Truong Sa islands is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty,” Ms. Hang said.