Vietnam sends note to the UN about China deploying missiles to Hoang Sa

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to protest Beijing's violation of sovereignty over Hoang Sa, and also sent it to the United Nations (UN).

Photo taken at a beach on Phu Lam Island on February 14 and 3. Photo: ISI.

According to Mr. Binh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi protesting Beijing's activities violating Vietnam's sovereignty in the Paracel Islands. The Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations also sent a diplomatic note to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon requesting the official circulation of the above diplomatic note. "These are actions that seriously violate Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, threatening peace and stability in the region as well as security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea," Mr. Le Hai Binh, Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said this afternoon in response to China's deployment of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Phu Lam Island in the Paracel Islands and the construction of a military helicopter base on Quang Hoa Island.

"Vietnam requests"China must immediately end such wrongful actions," Mr. Binh said.

On February 17, US media cited photos taken from civilian satellites saying that the Chinese military had deployed two HQ-9 air defense missile batteries, including eight launchers.a radar systemPhu Lam Island, part of Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago last week.The system has a range of 200 km, posing a threat to all types of aircraft, whether civilian or military, flying near the area.

China's Defense Ministry said defense facilities had been built on "relevant islands and reefs" for years and dismissed reports by some Western media as "exaggerated." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei neither confirmed nor denied the missiles, but reiterated that Beijing has had defense systems on the islands for decades.

Two HQ-9 missile batteries deployed on the coast of Phu Lam Island. Photo: Fox News

The US Department of Defense confirmed the presence of missiles on Phu Lam and condemned China for causing tension in the East Sea, an action contrary to previous commitments.US Secretary of State John Kerry criticized China for increasing militarization in waters related to the interests of many countries.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned China about the risk of conflict in the East Sea, saying that relevant parties need to exercise restraint and not militarize the area. A Japanese representative also expressed concern about the new developments, saying that construction activities in the East Sea for military purposes are "unacceptable"./.

According to VNE