HCM City (VNA) – The ninthEast Sea International Conference opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 27,focusing on the theme “Cooperation for Regional Security and Development”.

The two-day event, jointly held by theDiplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), the Foundation for East Sea Studies (FESS)and the Vietnam Lawyers' Association (VLA), is drawing around 200 delegates,including nearly 90 international scholars and representatives from severalforeign representative offices in Vietnam.

The conference aims to provide bothVietnamese and foreign scholars with a multi-dimensional insight into the EastSea situation over the past year, and discuss measures to maintain peace andstability in the region and boost cooperation.

Nearly 30 papers presented at the event areexpected to assess developments in the East Sea, international relations andorder seen from the legal angle, military and semi-military balance in the EastSea, initiatives to foster sustainable development and cooperation, and thecontent and progress of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

In his opening remarks, DAV Director NguyenVu Tung said that East Sea remains one of the difficult problems for internationalresearchers and scholars.

After the Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA)’s ruling in July last year, the East Sea situation has seen positivechanges, but worries remain about the risk of disorders and conflicts in thewaters in the long run, Tung stated.

According to him, the order in the sea hasbeen eroded as international law has yet to be respected fully, while effortsto control disputes are reactive and patchy.

There also exists a paradox that in spiteof a lot of cooperative initiatives, the real results are limited due to a lackof strategic trust. Therefore, the East Sea situation may grow more complicatedin the coming year, he said.

Tung stressed the need for comprehensive,long-term and sustainable solutions to prevent the situation from getting moreserious and threatening the security ecosystem of the entire region.

Mentioning the role of internationaljurisdictional mechanisms in increasing the role of international law, formerChief Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) VladimirVladimirovich Golitsyn stated that the role of international jurisdictionaloffices should be enhanced as the establishment of tribunals is an importantrole in improving international law supremacy and maritime administration.

Prof. Brahma Chellaney from the Centre forPolicy Studies of India, said that there is a realignment of order, affectingthe region’s political stability and the world’s centre moving to theIndo-Pacific region, in which the East Sea is the most important water areawith a crowded maritime route connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

Currently, the Indo-Pacific region isholding the key to world security and order. Therefore, any instabilitiesarising in the East Sea affect not only countries in the region but also manyother countries and regions, Brahma Chellaney affirmed.

The professor suggested parties involvedrespect international regulations and principles.

The East Sea provides one of the mostimportant maritime lanes in the globe and benefits many countries. Therefore,maintaining peace, stability, navigation and over flight security, safety, andfreedom in the sea area is the top priority. The parties concerned shoulddisplay their responsibility in abiding by international law, specificallyupholding the supremacy of the rule of law in the East Sea. Every extremereaction or activities defying international law will fuel tensions andcomplicate the situation.

In recent years, the East Sea issue has attracted much attention from theinternational community.

In July 2016, the PCA ruled that China’sclaims over historical rights within the “nine-dash line” run counter the 1982UN 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 beconsidered an island and so are not entitled to a 200 nautical mile exclusiveeconomic zone under UNCLOS.-VNA