Vietnam has reiterated its opposition to any foreign activities in the Spratly and Paracel Islands that are conducted without its permission, in response to reports of military exercises by Taiwan on Ba Binh Island.
“All foreign activities on the entities belonging to the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands without Vietnam’s consent are acts of violating Vietnam’s sovereignty and are invalid,” Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said on Sunday.
Hang made this statement in response to Read‘s question related to Taiwan’s coast guard minister Kuan Bi-ling’s visit to Itu Aba, known as Ba Binh Island, in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago, this week to participate in exercises, including armed landing drills on suspicious vessels.
Spokeswoman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang. Photo courtesy of the foreign ministry |
Ba Binh Island is the largest natural island in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago. Taiwan illegally occupies the island and previously stationed a marine force there.
Since 2000, Taiwan has replaced the garrison on Ba Binh Island with a coast guard unit equipped with weapons such as machine guns and long-range mortars.
This force regularly conducts illegal live-fire exercises in the surrounding waters.
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