Bản dịch của BBC

"China firmly safeguards its sovereignty; Vietnam must not misjudge the situation"

Vietnam has recently accused China of infringing on Vietnam's sovereignty by getting its marine surveillance ships to interfere in Vietnam's oil and gas exploration activities. It vowed to take various necessary measures to maintain its territorial sovereignty. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs solemnly declared its position twice. It reiterated that its marine surveillance ships' law enforcement actions against Vietnam's illegal work ships were entirely legitimate. It demanded Vietnam to immediately stop the rights-infringing activities and stop creating new problems. China has undisputable sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and the surrounding waters. For a long time, Vietnam has been trying every means to seize the South China Sea islands and the oil and gas resources there. It also colludes with the United States to internationalize the South China Sea issue. China is undoubtedly determined to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it will not turn a blind eye to provocative acts of sovereignty infringement. Vietnam must not misjudge the situation.

Vietnam has always been casting its covetous eyes on the Xisha Islands, Dongsha Islands and Nansha [Spratly] Islands. It uses various means to infringe on the sovereignty over the islands and related marine rights. Such means include launching big propaganda [campaigns] to promote the so-called "historical evidence" concerning the sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands. It has even established "administrative bodies" on islands that are not within its control, conducted oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and seized fishing industry resources in the South China Sea, all with great fanfare. In addition, it is stepping up efforts to build military facilities on the South China Sea islands and in the surrounding waters that it occupies. It is actively expanding its naval and air armaments. Meanwhile, it blatantly drives away or detains Chinese fishermen. Of the Nansha Islands embroiled in the sovereignty dispute, 29 are controlled by Vietnam, a country that occupies the largest number of such islands. Since ancient times, the South China Sea islands and the surrounding waters have been part of Chinese territory. China has sovereignty and jurisdiction over the related waters, their seabed and the soil of the seabed. Without the Chinese Government's approval, Vietnam has seriously infringed China's sovereignty and undermined China's core interest by taking upon itself to conduct oil- and gas-related activities in the South China Sea.

Vietnam produced 17.5 million tons of oil last year, with most of the oil coming from the South China Sea. The production value accounted for a whopping 30 percent of Vietnam's GDP. Given that the international crude oil price remains sky-high, Vietnam has even greater incentives to occupy the South China Sea. The US intervention and instigation have also emboldened Vietnam to dip its finger in the South China Sea, internationalize the South China Sea dispute and keep pushing China's boundary. China and Vietnam are neighbours and China does not want the Sino-Vietnamese conflict to escalate. It is willing to resolve the dispute in a restrained manner. However, while it does not want trouble, it is not afraid of it when it comes to big issues that involve national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Vietnam should still remember the sea battle between China and Vietnam over the Nansha issue in the 1970s and 80s. Although China was then economically and militarily weak, it still managed to deal a heavy blow to Vietnam. China today has much greater national strength than ever. Vietnam is rather naive and ignorant of the present situation in thinking it can rely on foreign support to make China give in.

Both sides of the Strait belong to China and the South China Sea is part of the territory of the Chinese nation. It is the collective responsibility and historical mission of both sides of the Strait to work together to safeguard the sovereignty and rights over the South China Sea. The fact that cross-Strait relations have eased makes it possible for both sides to forge this type of cooperation. Through materials supply and information exchange, both sides of the Strait can protect the sovereignty and jurisdiction over related waters and islands, which will enhance mutual trust in cross-Strait relations and is in line with the collective interest of the Chinese nation.

Source: Wen Wei Po website, Hong Kong, in Chinese 02 Jun 11