Ministry of Foreign Affairs talks about China's declared baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Regarding China's recent announcement of baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Vietnam has and will continue to exchange views with China on this issue.

This information was provided by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pham Thu Hang, at a press conference on the afternoon of March 14th, in response to a question about Vietnam's reaction to China's recent announcement of baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin. According to Ms. Hang, Vietnam and China are two countries bordering the Gulf of Tonkin. On December 25, 2000, the two countries signed the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Gulf of Tonkin, which came into effect on June 30, 2004, to determine the boundaries of each country's territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf in the Gulf of Tonkin. Accordingly, Vietnam believes that coastal states need to comply with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) when determining baselines used to calculate the width of their territorial sea. This must also ensure that it does not affect the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, including the freedom of navigation, the right of transit through straits used for international navigation, and in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "Vietnam has and will continue to exchange views with China on this issue in a spirit of friendship, understanding, and mutual respect," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Map of the demarcation line between Vietnam and China in the Gulf of Tonkin (Source: Government Border Committee).

Furthermore, Vietnam requests that China respect and abide by the agreement on the delimitation of the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf between the two countries in the Gulf of Tonkin, signed in 2000 between Vietnam and China, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. At the same time, Vietnam reserves its legal rights and interests under international law, as well as the position stated in the Vietnamese Government's statement of June 6, 1996, regarding the Chinese Government's statement of May 15, 1996, announcing the baseline used to calculate the width of China's territorial sea. Prior to that, on March 1, China issued a statement on the baseline of the northern part of the Gulf of Tonkin according to its 1992 Law on Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, which includes seven "base points" that, when connected, form a new baseline to claim "territorial sea" in the Gulf of Tonkin.

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