A Chinese diplomat sent documents to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Monday and requested that it be considered U.N. General Assembly documents which will be routed to all U.N. member countries, a Chinese official announced. The documents apparently outline Vietnam's recent unwarranted attacks on the Xisha Islands (Paracel), according to Xinhua news agency.

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An article entitled "The Operation of the HYSY 981 Drilling Rig: Vietnam's Provocation and China's Position" and released by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday are supposedly contained in the notes including annexes supporting China's irrefutable claim over the Xisha islands, ABC news has learned.

During the Monday briefing, China's deputy representative to the United Nations, Wang Min described Vietnam's actions in the Xisha islands as illegal and disrespectful of China's sovereign rights which posed serious threat to the well being of Chinese personnel as well as the HYSY 981 oil rig when a number of Vietnamese ships had repeatedly tried to destroy the barrier in the said islands and rammed Chinese ships more than a thousand times.

"China sent the note to tell the international community the truth and set straight their understanding on the issue," Wang said.

Vietnam's actions were cited to be violating provisions under certain international laws such as the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, and the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf, among others.

Historical data supporting China's sovereignty over the disputed islands were also outlined in the document.

According to Wang, Vietnam had always considered and accepted the Xisha islands as part of Chinese territory, citing a number of occasions where Vietnam had acknowledged it including a meeting with the charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Vietnam in June 1956 when Vice Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam stated that "according to Vietnamese data, the Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands are historically part of Chinese territory." In response, another official of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said, "Judging from history, these islands were already part of China at the time of the Song Dynasty."

However, Wang pointed out that now, the Vietnamese government is reneging on its word and claiming the islands as its own. He said that this is a breach of the principles of international law and rules of international relations.

China maintains its stance in the promotion of peace and stability in the region and calls for cooperation among neighboring nations, urging Vietnam to preserve bilateral relations and to respect its sovereignty. Wang said that China will continue to pursue peaceful communications with Vietnam regarding the current situation.

Tagsterritorial conflict, Paracel Islands, xinsha islands, south sea