The US on May 21 announced that it will maintain air and sea patrols ininternational waters after the Chinese Navy repeatedly warned a USsurveillance plane to leave the airspace above the international watersin the East Sea.

The Assistance Secretary of Statefor the East Asian-Pacific region, Daniel Russel, told a media briefingin Washington DC that the US reconnaissance flight is entirelyappropriate and the country’s naval forces and military aircraft willcontinue to fully exercise the right to operate in international watersand airspace.

The US will act to ensure all countries to enjoy the right, he added.

Earlier, US-based CNN launched a video featuring that on May 20 theChinese Navy issued eight warnings to the crew of a US P8-A Poseidon,the US military’s most advanced surveillance aircraft, while it wasflying over the international waters, near an artificial island China iscreating illegally in the East Sea.

Regarding thevideo, the spokesman for the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Le Hai Binh,told reporters at the ministry’s regular press conference on May 21 thatmaintaining peace, stability, aviation and maritime security and safetyin the East Sea, which forms an important international maritime routeand aviation corridor, is the common interest and aspiration of nationsinside and outside the region.

Vietnam callson countries concerned to contribute to maintaining peace, stability,aviation and maritime security and safety in the East Sea in aresponsible and active manner, while respecting the sovereignty,sovereign right and jurisdiction of coastal nations on the basis ofinternational law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of theSea, and avoiding complicating the situation, he stated.-VNA