Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said Saturday that Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh’s statements on East Sea issues were well received by many nations at the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held from July 29 to August 4in Thailand, who currently chairs ASEAN. The East Sea is internationally known as the South China Sea. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Minh on Wednesday denounced China's activities in the East Sea at the ASEAN meeting, calling them "illegal" and "serious violations" of Vietnam's sovereignty and jurisdiction rights. At the 9th EAS Foreign Ministers' Meeting Friday, which is part of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Minh said there have been unilateral activities that violated the sovereignty and legal interests of coastal states, and stressed that Vietnam has full historical and legal bases to assert its sovereignty over the Paracel (Hoang Sa) and Spraty (Truong Sa) Islands in the waterway." "The statements of … [Read more...] about Vietnam Deputy PM’s East Sea comments gather broad support
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US senators slam China for South China Sea ‘coercion’
It was the epithet it used while releasing a joint statement made on Thursday by Senators Jim Risch, Bob Menendez, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory Gardner, and Edward Markey, chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, which labels China’s actions "coercion." The statement quotes Risch as saying, "Surveying operations by a state-owned Chinese vessel inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and the deployments of China’s Coast Guard ships are only the latest evidence of China’s willingness to use coercion to assert unlawful claims in the South China Sea." Identifying specific ways to push back China’s aggressive activities in the sea -- known in Vietnam as the East Sea -- should be treated as a priority at the U.S.’s meetings with ASEAN in Thailand this week, he said. He was referring to the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences and … [Read more...] about US senators slam China for South China Sea ‘coercion’
Vietnam tells China to contain conflicts at sea
Vietnam and China need to maintain peace, stability and control conflicts well, Minh, also a Deputy Prime Minister, said as he met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The two neighbors should not conduct activities that would add tension to the area, and should solve all disputes with peaceful measures on the basis of international laws, including the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea, Minh said. In response, Wang said China values its relationship with Vietnam and strives to maintain the two countries' amicable relationship, while agreeing to exchange opinions and reasonably resolve issues in the relationship. The 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which lasts from Monday to Sunday, has been shadowed by concerns about the recent events on the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea. ASEAN foreign ministers and partners have stressed the importance … [Read more...] about Vietnam tells China to contain conflicts at sea
International conference on East Sea opens in Da Nang
At the event (Photo: VNA) Da Nang (VNA) – The 10th South China Sea International Conference, themed “Cooperation for Regional Security and Development”, opened in the central city of Da Nang on November 8, bringing together over 250 domestic and foreign scholars, academics, and diplomats. The event was co-held by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), the Foundation for East Sea Studies (FESS), and the Vietnam Lawyers’ Association (VLA) to review the latest developments, identify the drivers behind tension and stability, and explore different avenues for conflict management and resolution in the East Sea region. Marking the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of the initiative, this year's conference will also move beyond an annual review to take stock of the transformations in the East Sea across many sectors over the last decade. The event includes eight sessions, entitled “East Sea: the Heart of the Indo-Asia-Pacific … [Read more...] about International conference on East Sea opens in Da Nang
China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions
Beijing's expansive claims to the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area. Despite disagreements over Beijing's territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiralling dangerously out of control. As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea. "As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise," Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said. Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defense ministers in Singapore, also attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to … [Read more...] about China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions