Hanoi demands Beijing withdraw missiles from disputed islands

Vietnam has demanded that China withdraw military equipment from the South China Sea, following unconfirmed reports that China had installed missiles there.

According to Press TV, media reports last week claimed China had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its island outposts in the South China Sea.

"Vietnam is extremely concerned about the information (as reported) and reaffirms that all militarization activities, including the installation of missiles on the Spratly Islands, is a serious violation of Vietnam's sovereignty," Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said, addressing China in a statement posted on the ministry's official website on Tuesday.

"Vietnam requests that China, as a large country, shows its responsibility in maintaining peace and stability,” the statement added.

China, which has several disputes over territorial claims with neighboring countries including Taiwan, the Philippines and Brunei, has not acknowledged any missile deployment to the Spratlys and insists the facilities there are purely defensive. However, Beijing also says that it has sovereignty over its territories in the South China Sea and can do what it likes on them.

Beijing has been wary of the United States not only for taking sides with countries that have rival claims with China, including Vietnam, but also for the US military buildup in the South China Sea, where the US has no claims of sovereignty.

The South China Sea is a resource-rich region which serves as a gateway to global trade.

Commodities worth trillions of dollars pass through its shipping routes each year.

ME