A photo taken by the US's spy planes in the East Sea (Source: WSJ)Tokyo (VNA) – An internationalseminar on the future of maritime activities in Asia after the The Hague’s arbitrationruling took place at the Meiji University in Tokyo, gathering Japanese andregional experts.
Participants focused their discussion onfar-reaching implications of the July ruling made by the Permanent Court ofArbitration (PCA) concerning the Philippines’ lawsuit against China’s claims inthe East Sea.
They agreed that the ruling creates thefoundation for regional cooperation in the East Sea for mutual benefits.
The shared viewpoint is that navigation andmaritime freedom in the East Sea is in the interest of not only regionalcountries but also the world as a whole.
Go Ito, head of the Meiji Institute ofInternational Policy Studies (MIIPS), said the tribunal court’s decision is animportant legal framework for countries with overlapping claims in the East Seato reach agreements that could bring economic and political benefits for theentire region.
He stressed the waters’ role in regionalair and marine security, saying that this is the reason why Japan and the UScould not stand aside the matter.
Freedom of navigation and overflight is acommon concern regionally and internationally, he noted.
Agreeing with Ito, Song Yann-Huei, ResearchFellow at the Taiwanese Sinica Academy’s Institute of European and AmericanStudies, added the fact that 5.3 trillion USD worth of commodities travelacross the waters every year, therefore peace in the waters is in the interestof all countries, with the PCA ruling at its foundation.
Professor Virgina Bacay Watson from the US Departmentof Defense’s Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies highlighted the rulingimpact on the Philippines.
Watson said it helped President RodrigoDuterte launch a new diplomatic approach of increased cooperation with regionalcountries and reduce tension in relations with China.
The PCA ruling is a foundation for thePhilippines to reinforce marine security and protect sea resources viaintensifying activities of the coastal guard force.
Answering questions from a Vietnam NewsAgency reporter, Japanese former Vice Minister of Defence Tokuchi Hideshi saidthe future situation in East Sea would be affected by upcoming policies made bythe US, China and ASEAN member countries.
He said the US’s East Sea-related policies arelikely to see no major changes under the administration of President-electDonald Trump, thus ASEAN’s reactions would play the most significant role.
According to the Japanese scholar, thesituation in the East Sea will first and foremost depends on ASEAN solidarityand cooperation with countries outside the bloc, such as China, Japan andAustralia.
Of the same opinion, David Walton from the WesternSydney University added that Vietnam would also have an important standing.-VNA
VNA
