Vietnam protested against the actions of the Chinese Communist Party in the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Thursday (October 31st), demanding Beijing to immediately release all Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels “illegally detained”.
According to a report by “VnExpress” in Vietnam, Doan Khac Viet, Deputy Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated during a press conference that the Chinese authorities, including the Chinese Coast Guard, illegally captured Vietnamese fishermen and vessels in the waters of the Paracel Islands, violating the basic legal rights of Vietnamese fishermen.
“Vietnam strongly opposes China’s actions and demands that China fully respect Vietnam’s rights to the Paracel Islands, release all Vietnamese fishermen and vessels illegally detained, compensate for losses, and stop harassing and illegally capturing Vietnamese vessels and fishermen in the Paracel Islands.”
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not disclose how many fishermen and vessels were detained by China, and when the incident occurred.
The Paracel Islands are located in the resource-rich waters of the South China Sea, with claims to sovereignty from Beijing, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
In response to the protest by the Vietnamese government on Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, reiterated during a routine press conference on Friday that Beijing has sovereignty over the Paracel Islands. He also urged Vietnam to strengthen the education and management of its fishermen to prevent them from engaging in illegal activities in areas under China’s jurisdiction.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea through its “nine-dash line,” but some areas overlap with the exclusive economic zones of countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, leading to disputes. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s sovereignty claim within the South China Sea based on the “nine-dash line” lacked a legal basis. However, China stated that it does not recognize this ruling.
Currently, tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea are escalating, with conflicts with Vietnam also becoming more frequent.
On September 29th, Chinese troops attacked Vietnamese fishermen operating in the waters of the Paracel Islands with iron bars, seizing thousands of dollars worth of fish and equipment.
According to a report by the Vietnamese state-owned newspaper “Tien Phong” at the time, ten Vietnamese fishermen were attacked by about 40 individuals for a period of three hours. Footage showed Vietnamese fishermen being carried off the boat on stretchers. The report indicated that one person suffered a leg fracture, and two others had arm fractures. Four crew members were taken to the hospital.
On October 2, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry condemned the violent attack on Vietnamese fishermen by China as “barbaric behavior”.
At that time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that Vietnamese fishing vessels were illegally fishing in relevant waters near the Paracel Islands without permission from Beijing, and relevant departments took measures to stop them.