Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

On Saturday, China announced the establishment of the so-called Xisha district in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, and Nansha district in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, in the so-called Sansha city.

“Vietnam has strongly and repeatedly affirmed that it has sufficient historical evidence and legal foundation to assert its sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos,” said Ms. Hang.

She stressed that those moves of China are null and void, unrecognized, and unbeneficial to friendship among nations and further complicate the situation in the East Sea, the region and the world.

“Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnam’s sovereignty, abolish its wrongful decisions related to those moves, and avoid similar acts in the future,” said the spokesperson.