An overview of the conference (Photo: VNA)New Delhi (VNA) – The East Sea was the theme ofa conference held in New Delhi, India, on November 29 with current challengesand future perspectives in the waters under focus.
Participants highlighted the significance of the East Sea tointernational trade and maritime transportation, as nine out of 10 busiestcontainer ports in the world are located in the East Sea and about 5,000billion USD worth of goods are transported through the sea each year.
They underscored that the East Sea is important to not onlythe Southeast Asian region but the whole world, including India. Developmentsin the sea directly impact India’s trade and economic interests.
According to scholars, China’s deployment of survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi-8 and armed escortships to Tu Chinh reef (Vanguard Bank) in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone(EEZ) escalated tension and instability in the region, causing concern to theinternational community.
China’s moves also affectedits image and reduced the international community’s trust in the country, theysaid, adding that China’s disregard of the PermanentCourt of Arbitration (PCA)’s ruling in2016 also challenged the rules-based global order which has been the foundationfor stability at sea and navigation freedom.
At the event, the scholars affirmed that the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea 1982 can be considered the constitution forthe seas. They called on all relevant parties to soon adopt a Code of Conductin the East Sea (COC), thus ensuring peace and stability in the region./.
VNA
