Vietnam has again found itself in a clash with China's construction activities on a disputed island in the South China Sea.

China calls it the disputed Spratly Islands while Vietnam has named it Truong Sa. According to the vice spokeswoman of the Vietnam foreign ministry, Pham Thu Hang, Vietnam wants China to stop the construction as a sign of respect for the country's sovereignty.

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Vietnam says China should immediately stop the illegal activities and adhere to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties regarding the disputed islands.

The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties was signed in 2002 when the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations made a resolution pact regarding the disputed waters. Hang added that the recent move of China in the islands is a serious violation of the said pact.

China's new constructions were seen via satellite images. They have expanded so immensely that other neighboring countries have also become concerned by it, although Vietnam was the first to protest the expansion.

The satellite images showe an artificial island that covers at least 75,000 square yards of the disputed island. The constructions included piers, a helipad, a cement plant, and a land formation.

This is not the first island where China expanded their construction as the same things were put up at the Johnson South Reed and the Gaven Reefs. The constructions in the other two reefs are also seen as a violation because there is an overlap in the territory of the neighboring countries surrounding them.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying commented on the remarks made by Vietnam and said that the construction by China is justifiable and that they hope the issue would be resolved in a "cool-headed" manner.

Vietnam and China previously had violent clashes via maritime forces and it included bombings related to this territorial spat. Other countries claiming ownership of the island are Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines. 

TagsVietnam, spratlys, Truong Sa, artificial island