Defend the sovereignty

The 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related meetings are scheduled to take place from September 6-9 in Vientiane, Laos will discuss East Sea issue as an important one.

The second international seminar to seek peaceful solution to the East Sea dispute from ASEAN’s perspective took place in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 1, attracting more than 60 scholars and experts from ASEAN member states.

Peace, stability and cooperation for development is increasingly becoming an indispensable demand of the countries and the major trends in the world.

Aside from establishing diplomatic relations with foreign countries, the diplomatic sector plays an important role in protecting the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the country and ensuring a peaceful and stable environment for national growth.

On August 24, the Vietnam-Thailand Joint Working Group on Political and Security Cooperation (JWG) convened its eighth security conference mentioning East Sea issue.

On August 22, an international symposium took place at Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia to look into contemporary maritime security in the ASEAN region: Challenges and Opportunities for Peace, Stability and Substainability.

The marine environment in the coastal areas of four central provinces stretching from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue is basically safe, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Tran Hong Ha affirmed at a conference in Hanoi on August 22.

After the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has decided an award on the Philippines’ arbitration proceedings against China on interpretation and application of 1982 UN Convention on Law of Sea, the public agree that PCA is a legal tool for the East Sea issue in the future.

On August 17, in Hanoi, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Chief Secretary of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, during which he called on Hong Kong to establish friendly relations with Vietnamese localities and support resolving East Sea disputes by peaceful means.

​On August 17-18, about 100 scholars from Vietnam, the US, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and India are attending a workshop​ in the central province of Khanh Hoa to discuss legal regulations on islands and rocks in international law and practice in the East Sea.

Vietnam has focused on implementing international commitments and promoting marine conservation in the recent years, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chu Pham Ngoc Hien said.

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.

Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Le Hoai Trung speaks to the press about the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in resolving the simmering East Sea (South China Sea) dispute.

The ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands related to disputes in the East Sea on July 12 created a legal foundation for involved parties in the region to maintain cooperation in the future, an US law expert has said.

A meeting to discuss the architecture of the house to display objects related to Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes was held by the People’s Committee of central province of Khanh Hoa on August 2.

On August 4, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh said at the Ministry`s press conference in response to reporters’ query on Viet Nam’s reaction to Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan’s recent call for increased preparations for a “people`s war at sea" that officials needs to speak and act in accordance with official statements as well as their countries’ obligations.

Vietnamese expats in Fukuoka and Hiroshima cities of Japan and peace-loving Japanese people went on a march to ask China to respect the recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, relating to disputes in the East Sea.

​The Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute (ICAV) on July 27 issued a statement in support of the recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands, related to territorial disputes in the East Sea.

On July 28, the fringe of the 14th National Assembly’s first session, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh talks to reporters about the outcome of the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers` Meeting, including statement on the East Sea.

On July 28, Vietnam`s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh declared that all activities in the Paracels, Spratlys archipelago without the consent of Vietnam are illegal.