Fisheries Society opposes Chinese fishing bans in East Sea
The Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) released a document on May 4 opposing China’s issuance of regulations banning fishing in the East Sea this year.
Hanoi (VNA) - ꦛThe Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) released a document onMay 4 opposing China’s issuance of regulations banning fishing in the East Sea this year.
Thedocument was sent to the Government Office, the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Party CentralCommittee’s Commission for External Relations.
China announceda fishing moratorium from May 1 to August 16 in the East Sea, including part ofthe Gulf of Tonkin and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago under Vietnam’ssovereignty, according to the VINAFIS.
Theregulations violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and waters as well as itslegal rights and interests, hamper fishing activities by Vietnamese fishermen,and break international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention onthe Law of the Sea and other relevant international legal documents, it said.
The society also cited China’s recent announcement on the establishment of two administrativeunits under the so-called “Sansha city” in a scheme to illegally control Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos.
Therefore, the VINAFIS vehemently protests these extremely unreasonable actions by China,it said, stressing that the regulations have no legal value for waters underVietnam’s sovereignty and Vietnamese fishermen have the right to fish in thewaters belongling to Vietnam's sovereignty.
It also urged relevant agencies in Vietnam to take strong measuresto end China’s latest actions in the East Sea, and suggested increasing lawenforcement at sea to assist and protect Vietnamese fishermen operating in Vietnam’swaters.
The society will actively instruct local fisheries associations and societies topartner with relevant agencies in communications work to help fishermenunderstand and observe legal regulations while at sea.
ꦦ It will also call on fishermen to keep calm, continue fishing, step upproduction, and resolutely practice their legitimate rights, thus contributingto protecting national sovereignty of sea and islands./.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 23 criticised recent actions of China in the East Sea, including its announcement of the establishment of “Xisha district” (Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago) and “Nansha district” (Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago) within the so-called “Sansha city,” and China coast guard vessel's sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat.
The EU is committed to the legal order for the seas and oceans based upon international law, maritime security and cooperation, as well as the freedom of navigation and overflight, in the interest of all states, EU Ambassador to ASEAN Igor Driesmans told a Vietnam News Agency reporter in Jakarta on April 26.
Foreign experts have condemned China’s recent actions in the East Sea, saying its moves have escalated tensions in the region and infringed upon international law.
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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
