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1. POLICIES & REGULATIONS; China and Vietnam pass laws toassert dominion over disputed island
groups.............................................................................................................................................................. 1
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POLICIES &REGULATIONS; China and Vietnam pass laws toassert dominion over disputed island
groups
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Abstract: In a formal protest lodged by the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress on
Friday, China's rubber-stamp legislature argued that "the move by the Vietnamese National Assembly is a
serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and is illegal and invalid", adding that it "violates the
consensus reached by both leaders, as well as the principles of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea".
Responding to China's criticism following the approval of the new law, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi retorted that "Vietnam has sufficient legal basis and historical evidence to
assert its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos."
China's claims to sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands were passed into law in 1992 with the
adoption of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, which
declared that the two groups were the "land territory" of China, and would therefore each be entitled to a 200
nautical mile EEZ.
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Full text: As China and the Philippines return to their respective corners and dial down territorial tensions on the
disputed Scarborough Shoal, China and Vietnam are beefing up national legislation supporting their respective
claims to the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos in the South China Sea (SCS).
In the most recent move in the tit-for-tat exchange between the neighbors, China's State Council on Thursday
approved the establishment of the prefecture-level city of Sansha on Yongxing island, in the Paracels, which will
administer the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank), and Nansha (Spratly) island groups and their
surrounding waters, according to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The move carries significance in China's complex administrative hierarchy, as prefecture-level cities rank below
only provinces and major sub-provincial cities like Guangzhou and Chengdu. Prefecture administrators have the
right to govern surrounding territories, and are drawn from a higher ranking pool of officials within the Chinese
Communist Party.
Prefecture-level cities in China, however, are typically required to have an urban population of more than
250,000 and annual economic output of RMB 200 million ($31.42 million), but China maintains no civilian
presence on islands in any of the three groups.
Also on Thursday, Vietnam's National Assembly passed a national law declaring sovereignty over the Hoang Sa
(Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands.
TheLaw of the Sea of Viet Namformalizes Vietnam's claims of ownership over the two island groups, and details
the country's maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
Included in the law are defense policies for Vietnam's waters and islands, and the prioritization of offshore oil
and gas exploitation.
The two countries had previously reached an agreement on a framework for dialogue on resolving the long-
running territorial dispute after a visit to Beijing by Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong in October.
But in a formal protest lodged by the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress on
Friday, China's rubber-stamp legislature argued that "the move by the Vietnamese National Assembly is a
serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and is illegal and invalid", adding that it "violates the
consensus reached by both leaders, as well as the principles of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea".
23 May 2014 Page 1 of 2 ProQuest
Responding to China's criticism following the approval of the new law, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi retorted that "Vietnam has sufficient legal basis and historical evidence to
assert its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos."
"Vietnam resolutely rejects Chinese unreasonable criticism, as well as strongly opposes the establishment of
the so-called Sansha City'," he added.
China's claims to sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands were passed into law in 1992 with the
adoption of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, which
declared that the two groups were the "land territory" of China, and would therefore each be entitled to a 200
nautical mile EEZ.
The two countries have previously negotiated cooperation agreements for the joint development of
hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Tonkin, but the tremendous resource potential of the SCS has fueled a bitter and
long-running stand-off between the pair.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Interfax.
Subject: Islands; Sovereignty; Cities;
Location: Vietnam, China
Publication title: Interfax : China Energy Weekly
Publication year: 2012
Publication date: Jun 29, 2012
Year: 2012
Dateline: CN
Publisher: Interfax-America, Inc.
Place of publication: Hong Kong
Country of publication: United States
Publication subject: Energy, Business And Economics
Source type: Wire Feeds
Language of publication: English
Document type: News
ProQuest document ID: 1024669471
Document URL:
http://libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1024669471?accountid=13876
Copyright: (Copyright (c) 2012 by Interfax Information Services B.V.)
Last updated: 2012-07-13
Database: ProQuest Asian Business & Reference
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