Vietnam's groundless accusations dismissed at G77+China summit

China rebutted Sunday night accusations made by Vietnam over the South China Sea, urging the Vietnamese side to immediately stop all the disruptive and destructive acts against China's legal operations in the sea.

At the conclusion of the Group of 77 (G77) plus China summit in Bolivia, Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam's permanent representative to the United Nations, claimed that China operated a drilling rig "in the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam" and sent warships to drive away Vietnamese vessels, which "infringed Vietnam's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Le even demanded his claim be incorporated into a declaration that would be issued at the end of the two-day meeting. Participants of the summit rejected the unjustified demand of Vietnam.

Rebutting Vietnam's groundless accusations, La Yifan, deputy director of Chinese Foreign Ministry's International Organizations and Conferences Department, said Xisha Islands are an integral part of China's territory which are under effective jurisdiction of the Chinese government.

He emphasized that all the successive Vietnamese governments prior to 1974 had formally acknowledged Xisha islands as part of China's territory since ancient times.

"It is the Vietnamese side that has stirred up the disputes, not China. We urge the Vietnamese side to immediately stop all the disruptive and destructive acts at the site as soon as possible," La said.

"China urges the Vietnamese side to stop bending facts and fabricating stories that do not exist," he added.

He also pointed out that it was inappropriate to raise irrelevant issue at the summit.

"The G77 plus China summit is to promote the friendship and cooperation between the developing countries, not to stir up disputes. The maritime disputes should be settled through negotiations with China," La said.

The Group of 77 (G77) plus China summit wrapped up on Sunday night with the adoption of the Santa Cruz Declaration which calls for a new world order.

The G77, established in 1964, groups 133 developing countries and has more than 60 percent of the world's population.

It is also the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations, aiming to promote collective economic interests and gain leverage within the international community.