HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam announced it strongly opposed all foreign activities in the Paracels archipelago in the disputed South China Sea, following a report earlier this week of new Chinese construction on an islet there.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that new installations had been sighted on Yagong Island, called Ba Ba Island by Vietnam, citing satellite imagery, with security analysts saying it could be the start of an early-warning radar facility.
"Vietnam resolutely opposes this, has made serious representations and affirmed its position on the matter, and demands an immediate end to such activities and that they not be repeated," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told Reuters in an emailed statement.
China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when it seized them from the navy of the former South Vietnam. Vietnam, which claims the entire grouping as its own, has moved in recent years to expand its own network of bases in the Spratlys, which lie further south.
The Spratlys and nearby waters are also claimed, fully or in part, by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
Hang said Vietnam has sufficient historical evidence and legal grounds to affirm its sovereignty over the Paracels in accordance with international law.
"Vietnam reiterates that all foreign activities in the Paracel Islands, including at Ba Ba Island and at Hai Sam Reef, conducted without Vietnam's permission are completely illegal and null and void," she said, using Vietnam's name for Antelope Reef.
China's Defence Ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment on Tuesday. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Helen Popper) -- Reuters
