US opposes China’s acts to hamper oil, gas activities in East Sea

The US Department of State on (DoS) has expressed concern over reports that China is hampering other countries’ oil and gas activities in the East Sea, and said its acts threaten regional peace and security, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

DoS spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on July 20 that China’s reclamation and militarisation of disputed outposts in the East Sea, along with other efforts to assert its unlawful East Sea maritime claims, including the use of maritime militia to intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations, undermine the peace and security of the region.

By blocking development in the East Sea through coercive means, China prevents ASEAN members from accessing more than 2.5 trillion USD in recoverable energy reserves.

These acts by China are interfering in particular with Vietnamese oil and gas exploration and production, she stated.

On July 19, Vietnam has demanded China to immediately end violations and withdraw all vessels from her waters, respect her sovereign right and jurisdiction, for the sake of the bilateral relations and for peace and stability in the region, said Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

She said Chinese geological survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8 has recently violated Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the south of the East Sea which fully belongs to Vietnam in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both Vietnam and China are members.

Vietnam has contacted the Chinese side for many times via different channels, handed over diplomatic notes to protest the violations, she said, adding that Vietnam’s authorities at sea continue adopting proper measures to enforce sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction in a peaceful manner and in line with international law to protect the country’s waters.

As confirmed by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson on July 16, Vietnam’s consistent stance is to resolutely struggle with peaceful measures in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS against any violation of its sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction over the seas defined in line with the 1982 UNCLOS, she said.

The official added that maintaining order, peace and security in the East Sea is a common interest of countries in and outside the region as well as the international community. Therefore, Vietnam wants countries concerned and the international community to protect and maintain such joint interest./.

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