China slams Vietnam's Xisha Islands comments  

中方回應越南對西沙群島所謂“歷史法理依據”

針對越南對西沙群島所謂“歷史法理依據”的言論，中國外交部發言人秦剛在26日的例行記者會上表示，大量歷史證據表明，西沙群島自古以來就是中國固有領土，中國人最早發現、最早命名、最早開發經營、最早進行管轄和行使主權。中國人是西沙群島無可爭辯的主人。中國政府和人民捍衛國家主權領土完整的決心是堅定不移的。[查看全文]

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry on Monday refuted Vietnamese comments on the sovereignty of the Xisha Islands, vowing determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Qin Gang said the information offered by the Vietnamese side at a press briefing in Hanoi last Friday was ridiculous.

"Their comments showed the country's falsification of history, denial of truth, inconsistency and treachery," Qin said, arguing that Vietnam has little international credibility.

He cited historical evidence to show the Xisha Islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times.

"China was the first country to discover, develop, name and govern the Xisha Islands," while Chinese people are indisputable owners of the islands, said the spokesman.

According to Qin, the Chinese people discovered the Xisha Islands when they cruised to them during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Since then, lots of Chinese have traveled there for business.

Historical documents show Chinese fished and traded around the Xisha Islands during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, which serves as proof for China's jurisdiction of the area, he said.

During China's Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century, astronomer Guo Shoujing set up an observatory on the Xisha Islands, Qin added.

Vietnam appeared to acknowledge and respect China's sovereignty over the islands before the mid 1970s. In 1956, a senior official of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry told a charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam that the Xisha Islands were part of the Chinese territory, according to the spokesman.

In 1958, China announced it had set 12 nautical miles as the width of its territorial sea and the Xisha Islands were included. Ten days after that, then Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong told then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai that the Vietnamese government admitted the truth of and respected China's statement on its territorial sea, he said.

"For a long period of time, whether in Vietnamese official documents, maps or textbooks, the country admitted the Xisha Islands were part of China and that China had sovereignty of the area," Qin continued.

"However, after 1975, Vietnam breached its previous commitments and claimed sovereignty of the Xisha Islands."

He said the Chinese government and people are determined to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.