"Any foreign activities on entities within the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos without Vietnam's consent are violations of Vietnam's sovereignty and hold no value," said Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, today.

Hang made the statement in response to a VnExpress query regarding Taiwan Coast Guard leader Kuan Bi-ling's visit to Ba Binh island this week to participate in drills, including armed landing exercises on suspicious vessels.

Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. Photo: MOFA.

Ba Binh is the largest natural island in Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago. Taiwan illegally occupies the island and previously stationed marine forces there.

Since 2000, Taiwan replaced the stationed forces on Ba Binh island with a coast guard unit, equipped with weapons such as machine guns and long-range mortars. This force regularly conducts illegal live-fire exercises in the waters around Ba Binh island.

The East Sea (South China Sea) area with the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Graphic: CSIS.

By Ngoc Anh and Pham Giang