Hanoi  - Vietnam has protested new moves by China and the Philippines asserting sovereignty over the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, local press reported Friday.

China announced recently it would allow a tourist agency to offer trips to an island in the Spratly archipelago known in Vietnamese as Phu Lam.

"This act seriously infringes upon Vietnam's territorial sovereignty and is harmful to bilateral negotiations to seek a fundamental and durable solution to the sea issues between the two parties," the Vietnam News Agency quoted government spokesman Le Dung as saying Thursday.

Dung also objected to a law signed by Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on March 10 which claims the Spratlys as part of Philippine territory.

He said the Philippines should refrain from actions which "affect peace and stability in the region and the growing ties between the two countries."

On March 5, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visited the Swallow Reef, part of the Spratlys, which also elicited a protest from Vietnam.

Vietnam, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei each claim all or part of the Spratlys and the nearby Paracels, and all but Brunei have a military presence on one or more of the atolls.

The waters around the islands are believed to contain substantial petroleum reserves.

All of the countries claiming the Spratlys are signatories to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

The declaration commits the parties to resolving the islands' status through negotiations, and provides for freedom of navigation. (dpa)