Vietnam erhebt Einwände gegen Chinas erweiterte Reichweite im Golf von Tonkin

*Submission Statement:* Beijing has expanded its claim of coastal waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, drawing objections from Vietnam. The move raises freedom of navigation concerns and fits a pattern of increasingly assertive Chinese behavior in the South China Sea. Since 2013, Beijing has constructed artificial islands in territory claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Hanoi’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Pham Thu Hang, stated “coastal countries need to abide by the UNCLOS 1982 when determining the baseline for measuring their territorial waters” and implored Beijing to honor a previously negotiated bilateral demarcation agreement in the gulf.