1-11-2024 (HANOI) Vietnam has issued a strong diplomatic protest against China’s detention of Vietnamese fishermen in the contested Paracel Islands, asserting its sovereignty over the archipelago and demanding immediate release of the detained crew members.
Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Doan Khac Viet, addressing international media at Thursday’s regular press briefing, condemned the Chinese coast guard’s actions as “a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty” over what Vietnam calls the Hoang Sa archipelago.
“We demand China fully respect Vietnam’s sovereign rights, release all illegally detained vessels and crew members, and provide appropriate compensation for damages incurred,” Viet stated, emphasising Vietnam’s long-standing territorial claim to the island chain.
The diplomatic row intensified following an incident on October 2, when Chinese maritime law enforcement vessels reportedly confronted Vietnamese fishing boats in the disputed waters. The Foreign Ministry expressed particular concern over what it described as “brutal behaviour” by Chinese forces, resulting in injuries to Vietnamese fishermen and damage to their vessels.
Officials confirmed that Vietnam had lodged a formal protest with the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, demanding a full investigation into the incident and guarantees against future confrontations. The ministry highlighted the threat to Vietnamese fishermen’s lives and livelihoods posed by such actions.
The dispute represents the latest chapter in ongoing tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, where multiple nations assert competing sovereignty over various island chains and maritime zones. Vietnam maintains that its fishermen have historical rights to operate in waters around the Paracel Islands, which have been under Chinese control since 1974.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to the complex maritime disputes in the region, where fishing rights and territorial claims frequently intersect with broader geopolitical tensions.
