Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam speaks out about the map of Malaysia's continental shelf submitted to the UN

In response to a reporter's question asking for Vietnam's reaction regarding Malaysia's submission of a map of its continental shelf limits to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang on the afternoon of January 9 stated:

“Vietnam has full legal basis and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. As a member state of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), Vietnam enjoys full sovereignty, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction over its maritime zones determined in accordance with UNCLOS 1982. At the same time, Vietnam also reserves its sovereignty over the extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the East Sea as stated in the note verbale sent to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2009.”

Previously, on December 12, Malaysia officially submitted to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf a request to establish the limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. According to Article 76 of the 1982 UNCLOS, if a country believes that its continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles, it must submit to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, along with technical and scientific data, for consideration by the commission.