Asia

Re-elected Vietnam prime minister vows to defend sovereignty

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc takes the oath of office after being re-elected by the National Assembly in Hanoi, Vietnam, Tuesday, July 26, 2016. Phuc vowed to defend the country's sovereignty in the South China Sea as he was re-elected Tuesday by the rubber-stamp National Assembly. (Thong Nhat/Vietnam News Agency via AP) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 20, 2016 file photo, Vietnam's new Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, second left, walks with Vietnamese Communist Party Central Committee's Mass Mobilization Chief Truong Thi Mai, left, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Truong Hoa Binh, second right, and Communist Party's Standing Secretary of Secretariat of the Central Committee Dinh The Huynh to the opening session of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi, Vietnam. Phuc vowed to defend the country's sovereignty in the South China Sea as he was re-elected Tuesday, July 26 by the rubber-stamp National Assembly. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 20, 2016 file photo, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, left, follows Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, third right, and President Tran Dai Quang, right, with Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, second right, as they pay tribute to national heroes ahead of the opening session of the 14th National Assembly in Hanoi, Vietnam. Phuc vowed to defend the country's sovereignty in the South China Sea as he was re-elected Tuesday, July 26 by the rubber-stamp National Assembly. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File) (The Associated Press)

Vietnam's prime minister vowed to defend the country's sovereignty in the South China Sea as he was re-elected by the rubber-stamp National Assembly.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc won 485 votes from 494 assembly deputies Tuesday. In his acceptance speech broadcast live on state television, Phuc called on parties to respect and comply with international law and not to further complicate the situation.

An international tribunal two weeks ago rejected China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea in a case initiated by the Philippines. Vietnam is among the other claimants in the disputed area.

The 62-year-old Phuc was elected prime minister in April by the old assembly. The assembly elected in the general elections in May is scheduled to approve Phuc's cabinet before wrapping up its first session on Friday.