The Vietnamese Minister made the proposal at a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan on the sidelines of the 8th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM-8) taking place in Myanmar.

General Thanh said China has placed its drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou -981 within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, sparking outrage among Vietnamese people and causing worries in the region.

Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh has asked China stop taking unilateral action in the East Sea, and instead sit down at the negotiating table and amicably settle territorial disputes with Vietnam.

He reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of struggling to defend national sovereignty through peaceful means, with respect for and within the constraints of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), so as to maintain peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

He told Chang that Vietnam only uses law enforcement vessels of the Vietnam Coast Guard and Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance, as well as fishing boats to defend national sovereignty. It would never use aircraft, frigates or frogmen to attack and destroy the Chinese rig.

Thanh asked China to exercise restraint, not deploying military boats to collide with and fire water cannons at Vietnamese boats, provoking public outrage and injuring friendship between the two peoples.

He assured Chang that Vietnam will resolutely defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity to create a peaceful and stable environment for national development, while further strengthening solidarity and friendship with China in the spirit of the comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership established by the two countries’ top leaders.

“I expressed hope that both sides will refrain themselves and make recommendations to their Party and State leaders to settle the case rationally and stabilise the situation soon,” Thanh told reporters after the meeting.

However, the Defence Minister said China has a different viewpoint, insisting that the oil rig has been placed within China’s waters and that Vietnam is interfering with Chinese operations.

Thanh immediately refuted the statement, saying the area where China has installed its rig is within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as prescribed in the 1982 UNCLOS.

He called on China to stop unilateral action not to complicate the situation, and work closely with Vietnam to tackle the tension, through the two countries’ current negotiation mechanism.