Vietnam urged to stop disturbing Chinese companies in Xisha Islands  

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Tuesday urged the Vietnamese side to stop disturbing the activities of Chinese companies in the Xisha Islands.

In a phone conversation with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Yang said the Xisha Islands are part of China's inherent territory and there exists no dispute about it.

The activities of the Chinese companies in the Xisha Islands are within the mandate of China's sovereignty, sovereign rights and administration, which brooks no interference by any other party, Yang said.

The Vietnamese harassment of Chinese companies' normal activities there has severely violated China's sovereignty, sovereign rights and administration right, and ran counter to relevant consensus made by both sides on securing maritime stability, he said.

Such a move has also run counter to international law and basic norms of international relations, and undermined the good momentum for the improvement and development of China-Vietnam relations, he said.

He urged the Vietnamese side to stop disturbing such activities immediately and correct its wrong-doing for the sake of the overall ties between the two countries.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, on Friday and Sunday, summoned Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho and called Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son to make solemn representations on this issue.