Vietnam opposes to Taiwan’s live-fire drills around Vietnamese islands

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has protested Taiwan (China)’s live-fire drills around the Ba Binh (Itu Aba or Taiping) island of Vietnam’s Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea.

MOFA Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. Photo: MOFA

The fact that Taiwan held live-fire drills around the Ba Binh islands of the Spratly archipelago of Vietnam is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty over this archipelago, threatens peace, stability, maritime safety and security, and has also escalated tensions and complicated the situation in the South China Sea, stated MOFA Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang at an online press meeting Thursday.

“Vietnam has sufficient legal bases and historical evidence to claim our sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands in accordance with international law,” Hang said.

“Vietnam resolutely rejects and requires Taiwan not to conduct these illegal drills and not to repeat this violation in the future,” the spokesperson stressed.