China's project constructed illegally in Vietnam's Phu Lam Island
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Rector of Nha Trang University Trang Si Trung said the event is to examine the position and role of international law and peaceful solutions to the settlement of international disputes, thereby proposing measures to contribute to peace and stability in the East Sea.
The Council of Representatives of French and Vietnamese Associations (CRAFV) has issued a petition calling on China to respect the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the Philippines lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea.
The petition mentions the recent complicated disputes in the East Sea and recalls the unacceptable actions conducted by China since 1974, especially the construction of artificial islands and a large-scale airport infrastructure. Although the PCA issued the final ruling on July 12 rejecting China’s groundless claims over the “nine-dash line” in the sea, the country has once again refused to recognise the verdict.
The petition calls on government and political agencies of the EU, the US and ASEAN to take necessary actions to persuade China to respect the PCA’s ruling, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and halt its illegal construction of artificial islands, militarising those islands, and illegally hindering Vietnamese fishermen from doing their work in their traditional fishing ground.
The petition was posted on the website www.change.org to collect people’s signatures. It then will be addressed to French leaders, EU institutions, and Ambassadors to France of the US, China, Australia, Japan, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries.
During talks concerning international law recently held by the Law Commission under the World Trade Organisation’s Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, Sean D Murphy, a professor at George Washington University, delivered a speech on international law and sea and island disputes, citing the Philippines’s lawsuit against China on disputes in the East Sea.
The judgment contributed to solving not only disputes in the East Sea but also sea and island disputes in other regions worldwide, Murphy, who is also a member of the United Nations’ International Law Commission. It will serve as a foundation for interpreting regulations and principles of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), making it easy for all countries to understand the Convention, he said.
Meanwhile, Takashi Hosoda, lecturer of international law at Charles University in Prague, the Czech Republic, described the ruling as a historic step for efforts to settle disputes in the East Sea. It reflects the voice of the international community, he said, adding that parties involved should respect and implement the verdict.
On the occasion, an exhibition featuring historic evidence on Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa will also open. This year’s event will be co-organised by Pham Van Dong University and Nha Trang University.
