MANILA — Vietnam does “not support any kind of attack that would create any tension or danger,” a senior official from the country’s Commission for External Affairs said on Saturday, responding to questions about the Southeast Asian nation’s take on China’s attempts to expand its influence in the region.

Despite having expansive trade relations with China, Vietnam is among several countries who have been questioning Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. This, as Beijing steadily encroaches on the exclusive economic zone of other nations.

“We do not support any kind of attack that would create any tension or danger,” Tran Dac Lol, vice chairman of Vietnam’s Commission for External Relations, said in a virtual press conference at the Pandesal Forum.

“Creating a military conflict will benefit no one. We do not support any kind of attack that would create any tension or danger,” he said.

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Vietnam has the same stance when it comes to tensions between China and Taiwan, he said.

“The region would be affected so there should be no war… Discussion between two sides have to be peaceful,” he said, noting that there must be “understanding and willingness from both sides.”

“The life of Vietnamese people today are much much better than in the past” because of local and economic stability, the Vietnamese official noted.

“If issue will not be handled well, it may be one of the factors that conflicts and destabilizes Asia,” he added.

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President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr had also called for the peaceful resolution of the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, which he described as "concerning."

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait soared to their highest level in years in August after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the democracy as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary.

— with a report from Agence France-Presse

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