TrungHoa

Subject: Denouncement of People's Republic of China’s illegal claim on the Vietnamese archipelagoes of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly)

Based on the Vietnamese and European historical and present day evidence, we are stating the followings:

The archipelagoes of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) both situated off the Republic of Vietnam's shore belong to Vietnam. The Vietnamese fulfils all the conditions required by international law to assert its claim to possession of these islands.
The People's Republic of China has continued to invade these Vietnamese islands by various methods including illegal military occupation, actions which were brazen acts of invasion. Such actions were the gross violations of Vietnamese sovereignty by the People's Republic of China against the law of nations and the Charter of the United Nations.
The People's Republic of China’s recent set up of government over these islands is unlawful, intentionally constitutes a threat to peace and stability in South East Asia.

We are Vietnamese communities, organizations, and individuals world-wide declare the followings:

Denouncement of the People's Republic of China’s illegal invasion of these Vietnamese archipelagoes of Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly)
Requesting all people world-wide to support the Vietnamese rightful claim and sovereign over these islands.
Requesting the Vietnamese government to take appropriate action to the rightful claim and defend its sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Vietnam.
Requesting Vietnamese community world wide to be aware and support all similar appeals over the territorial integrity of Vietnam.
Requesting people world-wide to hold economic sanction against China by boycotting purchasing of all products made in China, not participating in any athletic or cultural events held in linkage with the People’s Republic of China.

Here signs this appeals on <date>

The recent incidents had proven that China is more bold with its power regardless the concern about the security and balance of power in the region and world opinion. During November of 2007, 8 thousand of American sailors onboard the carrier Kitty Hawk and its battle group were refused to make the port of call at Hong-Kong, as planted ahead for months. This port of call was the last visit for the Kitty Hawk, the oldest carrier of US Navy, before she would be decommissioned from services. Instead, the American soldiers stayed at sea for that biggest holiday. About two hundred and ninety Navy families flew to Hong-Kong ahead had to spent an empty and lonely holidays without their loved ones. Right after that, Chinese officials call back and allowed them to make the port of call for humanitarian purpose, but this time the ships were too far away under bad weather, thus could not return.

Later on, Chinese authority again formally denied the request for New Year holiday stop at Hong-Kong to the USS Rueben James, a Navy frigate ! No reason was given for those refusals either by phone or in writting. Until now, Hong-Kong is the most favorite port to visit by our sailors, there are about fifty of such visits by our ships every year. In addition, three or four days prior, two of our minesweepers, the Patriot and the Guardian, were refused to enter the port to escape an approaching storm and to re-fuel. The American Navy officials found this refusal more disturbing because it violated the international rule of sea to provide safe harbor for any vessels in trouble. Before that China had denied port visits for our ships in 2004.

Was this the game of revenge from Red China against our sale of submarine-hunting aircrafts to Taiwan as well as against the US Congress’s awards of the highest civilian honor to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner? China had tried to demonize the Dalai Lama by claiming that he had seek to destroy China’s sovereignty by his struggle for Tibet’s independence.

Earlier in 2007, China used a ground-based missile to shoot down an old weather satellite at an orbit height similar to one used by of our military.It was the first-ever such test by any nation and raise the tension in space.

In November 2007, China announced set-up the new district level Sansha administrative of Hainan Island covered one million square miles, which include 2 disputed islands of Truong-sa (Spratly) and Hoang-sa (Paracel). These two archipelagos have potential oil and gas reserves and rich fishing ground. The Spratlys are claimed in full or part by China,Taiwan, Phillipines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. All countries, except Brunei, have troops based on the archipelagos of over 100 islets, reefs and atolls.

China took the Paracel Island over from South Vietnam (during the Vietnam War) in 1974. In 1988, China, again, invaded and took over from Vietnam Spratly Island Reefs, in a battle which many Vietnamese sailors had died.

The islands have been a flashpoint for years, and the number of disputes has risen as declining fish stocks in the South Pacific have forced fishing boats from Vietnam and other countries to sail deeper into disputed water.

In the last two months of 2007, Chinese naval vessels fired at Vietnamese fishing boats in international water and near the Spratly, sinking the many boats, arresting and killing several Vietnamese fishermen.

Both Tokyo and Washington are deeply concerned about recent Chinese military activities, its rapid improvements in missile technology, the modernization of its huge standing army and the expanding reach of its navy.

Tokyo and Washington are also troubled by double-digit growth in China's annual military spending, coupled with Beijing's reluctance to divulge military-related information.

Relations between the U.S. and China have also been strained in recent months by disputes over trade and Iran's nuclear program. The potential for clashes at sea is particularly high.