Following a test-flight late last week by China's PLA Air Force (PLAAF) on the airstrip completed by China in November 2015,Vietnam formally accused China on January 2, 2016, 'of violating its sovereignty' and a recent confidence-building pact. The formal statement issued by Vietnam called it “a serious infringement of the sovereignty of Vietnam on the Spratly archipelago, contrary to the common perception of high-ranking leaders of the two countries and (to) an agreement on the basic principles for directly solving maritime issues between Vietnam and China”. Vietnam handed a protest note to China’s embassy and asked China not to repeat the action.