VIETNAM’S POSSESSION AND EXERCISE OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE PARACEL AND SPRATLY ISLANDS
Tóm tắt
Sovereignty of Vietnam over the Paracel and Spratly Islands was early applied by the Vietnamese feudal dynasties. This fact was most obvious in the beginning of the 17th century and lasted until the year of 1932, when the French government officially proclaimed that it would continue to execute the sovereignty over these two archipelagoes on behalf of Vietnam. In the Second World War, these two archipelagoes were occupied illegally by Japan. In the 1951 San Francisco Conference, however, the sovereignty of Vietnam over the Paracel and Spratly Islands was solemnly affirmed by the representative of Vietnam government, which was confirmed by the international community in the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed on 8th September 1951.
In 1956, the People's Republic of China (PRC) illegally occupied the Woody Island (Vietnamese name: Phu Lam) - one of the islands of the Paracel Islands. In 1974, the PRC attacked and occupied the whole Paracel Islands. In 1988, PRC again attacked and occupied three reeves of the Spratly Islands. Thanks to the animus insurance by the international law, however, the sovereignty of Vietnam over these two archipelagos was not discontinued.
Since the 17th century, the process of possessing and exercising sovereignty of Vietnam over the Paracel and Spratly Islands has been taking place practically, uninterruptedly, peacefully and transparently by various effective ways in political, military, law-abiding, economic and cultural aspects.
