Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh (C) speaks at the workshop (Source: VNA)Inhis speech at a workshop hosted by the working group of alternative strategies(WGAS) in New Delhi on December 1, Thanh assured that Vietnam has sovereignright and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone in the East Sea, andasked other countries to respect these in accordance with the UNCLOS.
Regarding territorial disputes in the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and TruongSa (Spratly) archipelagos, the diplomat said Vietnam has full legal basis andhistorical evidence to attest its sovereignty over the archipelagos.
Healso highlighted Vietnam’s consistent stance of solving disputes in the East Seaby peaceful measures, and in line with international law, including the UNCLOS1982, adding that parties involved should exercise self-restraint, not use forceor threaten to use force, avoid unilateral action and militarisation when addressingdisputes.
Parties should strictly abide by the Declaration on theConduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards avoiding complicatingthe situation further, he stressed.
Healso urged China and ASEAN to soon finalise a Code ofConduct (COC) in the waters, while calling for countries’ greaterefforts to maintain peace, stability and the law of the sea and ocean.
Therecent ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague,the Netherlands, on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China’s claims in thewaters, is a turning-point to form a new legal background in the East Sea andit contributes to downsizing disputes in the sea, Thanh affirmed.
Indonesianenvoy to India Dalton Sembiring stated that his country does not acknowledge China’s “historic right” over the so-called “nine-dash line”in the East Sea, saying that that declaration had no legal value and wascontrary to the UNCLOS 1982, especially regulations relating to maritimeenvironmental protection.
Indonesia supports the settlement of East Sea disputes by peaceful measures,and calls all involved countries to obey international law, especially theUNCLOS 1982, he said.
Healso affirmed Indonesia’s stance for the PCA ruling, and asked countries havingsovereignty claims in the East Sea to continue taking peaceful measures fortheir claims in line with international law.
Meanwhile, political affairs counsellor of the Japanese Embassy in India,Hideki Asari highlighted the strategic and economic importance of the East Sea.
All countries should abide by international law, he said, adding that China isbound by the PCA ruling because it is a member of the UNCLOS 1982.
In his speech, Srikanth Kondapalli from the Centre for East Asia Studies underIndia’s JNU University also stressed the importance of the PCA ruling, andexpressed his concern about the enforcement of the judgement as China still intensifiedits militarisation in the East Sea.
Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore ought towork closely to promote peace and stability in the region.
Theworkshop heard over 100 reports and speeches, which focused on analysing andevaluating the situation in the East Sea, and impacts of relevant sovereigntydisputes in the region.
Participants said the PCA ruling is a historical declaration as it rejected China’ssovereignty and “nine-dash-line” claims in the East Sea, calling on involvedparties to strictly respect the PCA’s judgement and enhance cooperation topromote peace, satiability and prosperity in the region.-VNA
VNA
