Vietnam
Hanoi: seminar held to dissect PCA’s East Sea ruling
On August 16, a seminar was held in Hanoi to focus on dissecting the content of the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands, on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea.
The activity aimed to make it easy for historians to make studies of the advantages and difficulties facing Vietnam in safeguarding national sea and island sovereignty, thus giving relevant advice to Party and State leaders, towards effectuating activities that raise public awareness of national sea and island sovereignty protection and measures to ensure security at sea.
Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy briefed the gathering on the legal concept concerning disputes and types of disputes in the East Sea in accordance with international law, while detailing the contents of the ruling.
According to Tran Viet Thai, Deputy Director of the Strategic Research Institute of the Foreign Ministry, on the legal aspects, the lawsuit has clarified the actions made by China in the East Sea over the last three years, which changed the status quo of the sea.
The lawsuit creates a crucial and permanent foundation for involved parties to define the rights of relevant parties and seek to solve East Sea disputes. Participants heard that the East Sea dispute is not merely the sovereignty dispute or a regional security-related issue, but about global governance concerning big countries and regulations of international law.
Participants clarified mechanisms to settle disputes in line with the 1982 UNCLOS, weighed the legal value of the ruling issued by the PCA on July 12 in the Philippines’ lawsuit against China, the lawsuit’s impact on the regional and global politics, navigation and aviation freedom, and international relations. The East Sea issue is just at the stage of conflict management and confidence-building, rather than going to the next stage to determine rights of parties and find the final solution to the issue, Thai said.
The PCA ruled that China’s claims over historical rights within the “nine-dash line” run counter the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), so it has no legal value. The tribunal also verified that no features in the Spratly archipelago could be considered an island and so are not entitled to a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone under UNCLOS.
Vietnam strongly supports settling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures, including diplomatic and legal processes without the use or threat to use force, as in line with regulations of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, maintaining peace and stability in the region, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight over the East Sea, and respecting the law-abiding principle in seas and oceans.
Vietnam once again affirms its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, the sovereignty over internal waters and territorial waters, the sovereign right and jurisdiction over Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as defined in line with the 1982 UNCLOS.” Vietnam upholds all of its legitimate rights and interests regarding the geographical structures belonging to Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes.
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