VN opposes China’s military exercise at Trường Sa

China’s military exercise at the Trường Sa archipelago seriously violated Việt Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelago and went counter to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry representative said at a meeting in Hà Nội on March 2 with representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Việt Nam. The Vietnamese representative reiterated Việt Nam’s sovereignty over the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes and requested China refrain from actions which could make the situation more complicated, and instead join with ASEAN countries to implement the DOC, contributing to maintaining peace in the East Sea. On Feb. 25, China’s Xinhua News Agency ran a news story, saying that the eighth escort flotilla of the China Navy conducted an anti-piracy drill in the Trường Sa archipelago on Feb. 24./. VNA