Vietnam has protested a
new Chinese law aimed at protecting the nation's islands, including the
disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, local
media reported Wednesday.
'Vietnam has time and again affirmed its
sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos,' Vietnam News
quoted government spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga as saying.
'All activities of other countries, including the promulgation of legal
regulations relating to these archipelagos and Vietnam's Exclusive
Economic Zone and continental shelf, are of no legal value.'
Nga made her comments in response to queries about Vietnam's reaction
to the passage of a law on sea island protection approved by the
Chinese National People's Congress Standing Committee Dec 26.
According to the law, China is to strengthen the protection of the
ecosystem, the rational utilisation of natural resources and
sustainable development on the country's islands.
The law bans all construction projects, tree felling and tourism
activities on uninhabited islands. It also prohibits activities that
could damage coral and coral reefs.
The new law puts China's State Oceanic Administration and its branches in charge of monitoring compliance.
China claims more than 6,900 islands, each having an area of over 500
square metres and more than 10,000 smaller islets, including the
Paracel and Spratly Islands.
China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops
overwhelmed a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the islands.
Both Vietnam and China are signatories to the 2002 Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. It commits the parties to
resolving the islands' status through negotiations and provides for
freedom of navigation.
Vietnam and China generally enjoy close relations, but the conflict
over maritime resources is a persistent source of tension. Each country
submitted maritime territorial claims to the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea in early May and rejected the other's claims shortly
afterward.
The South China Sea is believed to contain substantial undersea oil reserves.
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