Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for respect for international law and the rights and interests of other countries. This was said by the Ministry’s spokesperson in response to a question about China’s demarcation in the Gulf of Tonkin on Thursday (March 14). British news agency Reuters reported this news.
Earlier this month, the Chinese government demarcated the Gulf of Tonkin using a straight line. The country has drawn this line according to international law. Gulf of Tonkin is known as Beibu Gulf in Chinese.
Boundaries are used to define territorial waters and the limits of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). However, this demarcation is a sensitive issue in the South China Sea. Because China, Vietnam and other states in the region have some conflicting claims around this region.
Speaking at a regular press conference, a Vietnamese ministry spokesman said, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ‘Vietnam believes that coastal countries determine the baseline for measuring their territorial waters in accordance with UNCLOS 1982.’
China and Vietnam have conflicting claims over the larger South China Sea. However, they maintain friendly relations in the Gulf of Tonkin. Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to conduct joint patrols during his visit to Hanoi last December.
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