After China’s fleng.com (Phoenix) updated China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s remarks on the Statement on the East Sea issued by the 24th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Chinese internet readers expressed their doubt about China’s recent intentional acts at the East Sea.
The fact that China brazenly moved its deep-water drilling rig escorted by over 80 armed and military vessels and many airplanes to the Vietnamese waters and installed the rig at the location which is 80 miles deep into the Vietnamese continental shelf and exclusive economic zone prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). China is seriously violating basic principles of international law and the 1982 UNCLOS, betraying its commitment to both the ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and bilateral agreements reached by the two nations’ leaders.
At the 24th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that the Chinese extremely dangerous action has been and is directly threatening peace, stability and maritime security and safety in the East Sea.
The Prime Minister said that “We express our deep gratitude to and urgently call on ASEAN members, other countries in the world, individuals and international organizations to continue voicing their protest against the above-mentioned acts of serious violation and support the legitimate demand of Vietnam.”
Chinese internet readers continuously update comments related to China’s illegal installation of its drilling rig in Vietnam’s territorial waters.
Reader with nickname bingchenglieshui expressed the doubt about the nine-dotted line of China. The reader wonders whether the territorial waters in the nine-dotted line at the East Sea belongs to China or not.
Nickname tiexue007 said that the nine-dotted line has no contract, consequently it has not been recognized by related countries and international community.
Another reader said that how many people support such China’s ambitious policy on the territorial waters.
Forums such as Sohu and Sina, many Chinese showed their love for peace and criticized extreme elements in the leadership.
A Chinese blogger on condition of anonymity disclosed that China signed 1982 UNCLOS. Therefore, he suggested that China should obey Article 74 and 83 of the Convention, especially to respect the continental shelf and 200-mile exclusive economic zone of coastal countries, to implement fully and strictly implement the Declaration on the conducts of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and to work with ASEAN for substantive negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Many readers expressed their deep concern over China’s illegal dispatch of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou- 981 and ships to Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone./.