Vietnam has welcomed a ruling by an international arbitration court concerning the South China Sea, saying it strongly supports peaceful resolution of disputes, while reasserting its own sovereignty claims.

The ruling issued in The Hague on Tuesday involved a case brought by the Philippines, but China’s claims also overlap with Vietnam’s.

“Vietnam welcomes the arbitration court issuing its final ruling,” foreign ministry spokesman, Le Hai Binh, said in a statement.

“Vietnam strongly supports the resolution of the disputes in the South China Sea by peaceful means, including diplomatic and legal processes and refraining from the use or threats to use force, in accordance with international law.”

The ministry said it would issue a more detailed comment on the content of the ruling at a later time and reasserted Vietnam’s claim of sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly island chains, and its jurisdiction over its Exclusive Economic Zone.

Earlier in the day, Vietnam accused Chinese vessels of sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracels on Saturday.

– with other agencies; Reuters/AP