Key facts
- Vietnam has demanded an immediate end to new Chinese construction on Yagong Island in the disputed Paracel archipelago.
- The construction was reported earlier this week, with satellite imagery suggesting it could be the start of an early-warning radar facility.
- Vietnam claims sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, which China has occupied since 1974.
- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated that all foreign activities in the Paracels without Vietnam's permission are illegal.
Vietnam on Friday strongly opposed all foreign activities in the Paracel archipelago in the disputed South China Sea, following a report earlier this week of new Chinese construction on an islet there. Reuters reported on Tuesday that new installations had been sighted on Yagong Island, called Ba Ba Island by Vietnam, citing satellite imagery, with security analysts saying it could be the start of an early-warning radar facility.
"Vietnam resolutely opposes this, has made serious representations and affirmed its position on the matter, and demands an immediate end to such activities and that they not be repeated," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told Reuters in an emailed statement.