China is afraid of losing the lawsuit against Vietnam!

(Baonghean) - Answering international reporters in New York (USA) on June 10, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, emphasized: China's refusal to discuss the dispute so far is a "provocative" act and creates "serious concerns" for the international community. Also at the meeting with Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Mr. John Ash, President of the UN General Assembly (68th Session) supported Vietnam's stance on the issue of the Haiyang Shiyou - 981 drilling rig.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung answers press interviews.

Speaking to international reporters, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung stressed that the ongoing actions in the East Sea are a "serious issue". Ambassador Le Hoai Trung said that so far China has refused to engage in dialogue and has always insisted unreasonably that the waters surrounding the rig belong to China and are not in dispute. China's refusal to discuss the dispute is "provocative" and creates "serious concerns".

In response to China’s accusations that Vietnamese vessels had intentionally harassed and rammed Chinese vessels, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung stressed that the area where China placed the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig lies entirely within Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Vietnam only sent civilian vessels to the area to enforce the law, but China also sent warships to the area.

Vietnam has openly invited international reporters to the scene to witness what happened, and Vietnam has even invited Chinese reporters to the scene. The images that Vietnamese and international reporters have published, such as images of Chinese ships brazenly attacking with water cannons or intentionally sinking Vietnamese fishing boats, have shown the truth.

Chinese ships repeatedly and aggressively spray water cannons at Vietnamese fisheries surveillance ships.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung emphasized that Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal basis to assert its sovereignty over the area where China placed the drilling rig. Vietnam is not the country that provokes the current tension. Vietnam wants to resolve the issue peacefully, through dialogue and negotiation. Vietnam has experienced decades of war, so the Vietnamese people always want peace. The Ambassador also affirmed that Vietnam has shown utmost restraint so far. Vietnam resolutely demands that China withdraw the drilling rig and more than 100 ships from Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone to establish an environment for negotiation.

Previously, at a meeting with the President of the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. John Ashe, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung affirmed that based on the consistent policy of peacefully resolving international disputes in accordance with international law and the desire to maintain and develop friendly relations with China, Vietnam has exercised maximum restraint and made efforts to resolve the current situation through dialogue and other peaceful measures in accordance with international law. However, China not only did not respond to Vietnam's request but also increased its actions that caused tension. President of the United Nations General Assembly John Ashe shared the international community's concerns about the ongoing situation in the East Sea, supporting Vietnam's policy of seeking peaceful measures to resolve the current tension in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

At the 27th ASEAN-US Dialogue held in Myanmar yesterday, the US side also affirmed its support for ASEAN's views as expressed in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Statement on May 10. The US has opposed unilateral actions, the use of force to change the status quo, and the imposition of territorial sovereignty claims; accordingly, it strongly supports the principles of resolving disputes by peaceful means, restraint, non-threat or use of force, and compliance with international law... Speaking after the meeting, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said that China's submission to the United Nations must be accompanied by evidence for its arguments. He also called on all parties to take steps to cool down the situation, creating favorable conditions for negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Meanwhile, international scholars believe that China is afraid of bringing the East Sea dispute to an international court. The Diplomat magazine (based in Tokyo) commented that China's accusation against Vietnam at the UN is difficult to understand. Because China has always declared that it wants to resolve the East Sea dispute through bilateral negotiations. China has also repeatedly criticized "third parties" and efforts to "internationalize" the East Sea dispute. According to this newspaper, the reason for China bringing the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig case to the UN General Assembly is that China claims that it owns the Paracel Islands and has no dispute there. However, the documents presented by China deliberately forget the fact that the Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam and that China used force to occupy them in 1974. The Diplomat commented that in fact, China is worried that Vietnam might sue it in an international court. If Vietnam does so, it will certainly receive support from the US, Japan, Australia and many other countries. By proactively bringing the Haiyang Shiyou 981 issue to the UN, China wants to prevent Vietnam from suing in international court.

According to The Diplomat, “internationalization” is a risky move for China because in reality, its “cow tongue line” map has absolutely no legal basis. Therefore, China will face the risk of losing the lawsuit.

H. Diep(Synthetic)