An oil rig of Vietnam in the East Sea (Photo: PetroVietnam)Accordingto the article, when the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was openfor signature on December 10, 1982, Vietnam was among the first 117 countries tosign the Convention.
Furthermore, Vietnam has called upon otherstates in Southeast Asia to respect and comply with UNCLOS. In particular,during its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020, Vietnam repeatedly stressed the relevance of UNCLOS inmaintaining regional peace and resolving maritime disputes.
Most recently, together with Germany,Vietnam initiated the establishment of the UNCLOS Group of Friends to acceleratecooperation between like-minded countries on common maritime goals.
Mentioning the role of UNCLOS 1982, the article said known as the“Constitution of/for the oceans”, the Convention sets out a legal framework forregulating most sea-related activities and provides a platform forinternational cooperation on maritime-related issues. Furthermore, itstipulates binding mechanisms for settling disputes at sea.
UNCLOS standardises claims over maritime entitlements and sovereign rights ofits signatories including Vietnam. Before UNCLOS, especially in the first halfof the twentieth century, there were chaotic situations wherecountries argued over their maritime boundaries, leading to disputes. Theadoption of UNCLOS has helped to reduce these kinds of disputes, as theConvention became a legal basis for the demarcation of overlapping territories.
The Convention has provided a framework for member states, including Vietnam,to cooperate with other states on various issues like crimes at sea, namelypiracy and armed robbery against ships, protecting the environment, conductingscientific research, and managing resources.
The importance of UNCLOS to Vietnam has been proven over thepast 40 years, especially in terms of legitimising the country’s maritimeclaims, enhancing its domestic law and management system, acceleratingcooperation with other states, and settling maritime disputes./.
VNA
