Vietnam resolutely opposes China's decision on East Sea fishing break

“Vietnam resolutely opposed and refuted China’s unilateral decision because it seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty in Paracel Archipelago and other legitimate rights in Vietnamese waters in line with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and related legal documents while contradicting the spirit and texts of the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea between ASEAN and China. It’s not appropriate to bilateral relations and detrimental to maintaining peace and stability in the region," Hang said.

Regarding a proposal of a non-US Trans Pacific Partnership agreement, the spokeswoman said the TPP and free trade deals are active steps in comprehensive international integration towards a market economy and refreshing momentum for development.

Vietnam will work with the member states of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to reach a consensus on future orientations for the deal. The country will pursue its path of renovation and speed up its preparations to deliver its FTAs commitments, she added.

On May 2, negotiators from 11 member countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement gathered for a meeting in Toronto, Canada to explore the possibility of putting the trade pact into force without the US. 

TPP was signed in February in 2016 by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam, covering roughly 40% of the global economy.