Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to two Chinese planes landing on Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago

The Foreign Ministry spokesman responded to Vietnam's response regarding two Chinese planes landing on Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago and China organizing live-fire drills in the East Sea.

Chinese destroyer during a drill. (Screenshot CHINAMIL.COM.CN)

Reuters news agency on May 28 cited satellite images showing two Chinese planes landing on Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago. Responding to a reporter's question, Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said: "We are verifying this information."

Regarding the question, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration recently announced that the Chinese military will hold live-fire drills in the East Sea from May 27-30. Requesting Vietnam to comment on this information, Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said: "The area where China announced the live-fire drills is located in China's waters."

Accordingly, this announcement was made by the China Maritime Safety Administration on May 26 and said that the exercise will take place from 8am to 5pm on these days in an area in the Gulf of Tonkin, near Hainan Island.

The brief announcement from the China Maritime Safety Administration did not specify which forces would participate or the expected course of the exercise, but only provided the coordinates of the area where the exercise would take place. The China Maritime Safety Administration declared that all maritime activities were prohibited in the area during the said period.

In addition, the country's military plans to conduct military exercises in Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea from May 27-31.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bo-ngoai-giao-phan-hoi-ve-viec-2-may-bay-trung-quoc-dap-xuong-quan-dao-hoang-sa-cua-viet-nam-315954.html