ASEAN and Chinese senior officials reviewed the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and discussed the building of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) during their 12th meeting in the northern province of Quang Ninh on June 9.

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung led the Vietnamese delegation to the event, which was co-chaired by China and Singapore, which coordinates the relations between ASEAN and China

The ASEAN member countries expressed concern over the recent developments in the East Sea while laying an emphasis on the importance of the sea and the international community’s interest in the recent situation there.

The ASEAN member states and China reaffirmed the significance of fully and effectively realising the DOC to foster trust and practical cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, maritime and aviation security and safety.

In committing to doing so, they particularly stressed the full and efficient implementation of Article 4 on peaceful settlement of disputes, Article 5 on self-restraint, Article 6 on cooperation promotion, and Article 10 on COC building, of the DOC.

Participants discussed the nature of the COC as well as approaches to designing it for the first time.

They agreed to draft guidelines on launching a hotline on response to urgent contingencies at sea for ASEAN and Chinese senior officials, as well as complete the formulation of the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on the Implementation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, considering them concrete outcomes ahead of the commemorative summit for the 25 th anniversary of ASEAN-China relations in September in Laos.

Countries agreed that the next senior officials’ meeting and the meeting of the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group (JWG) on the Implementation of DOC will be held in August in China.

The meeting also debated preparations for the special meeting of the ASEAN and Chinese foreign ministers slated for June 14 in Kunming, China.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Trung asserted that Vietnam and ASEAN place special importance on their relations with China and that peace and stability in the East Sea are tied closely with peace, stability and prosperity of countries in and outside the region.

He called on ASEAN and China to fully and effectively realise DOC, particularly specifying the document’s Article 5 via adopting the building of a list of to-do and not-to-do actions in the East Sea while promoting practical collaboration at sea.

He stressed the need to promptly reach a COC to manage and prevent disputes, creating an environment conducive to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The Deputy FM proposed increasing meetings and discussions on practical issues, especially the COC drafting and deadline, and expressed support to “early harvest” measures and continuous studies.

Int’l seminar on maritime security, development opens

Seven reports were delivered to an international seminar in the northern province of Quang Ninh which began on June 9, featuring measures to effectively cope with traditional and non-traditional security challenges at sea as well as maritime management mechanisms.

Attending the event were over 180 delegates, including 59 foreign scholars, representatives of diplomatic agencies in Vietnam, and local and foreign reporters.

Participants discussed the recent developments in the East Sea and East China Sea from defence, diplomatic, economic and legal perspectives to seek initiatives to foster cooperation among claimant countries.

During the first session on traditional security challenges at sea, they shared the view that international order, maritime security and safety should be maintained and improved, with respect to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

They called on countries concerned to act responsibly in the spirit of law compliance, making more practical contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

ASEAN plays an important role in shaping the security architecture in the region, serves as a significant forum where the East Sea issue is discussed and mechanisms to manage sea-related disputes are built, they said.

The seminar stressed the need to skip sovereignty disputes, to focus on managing crises and promoting practical collaboration to build trust, towards the swift formulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

A majority of opinions proposed promoting mutually-beneficial maritime cooperation in line with international law, particularly the sustainable management and protection of fish stocks and marine biodiversity.

The second session analysed serious non-traditional security challenges faced by the region, including illegal fishing, human trafficking, piracy and marine environment pollution, which should be countered by information sharing and increased collaboration among countries and enforcement of international conventions.

In the final session, delegates shared experience in sustainable natural resources exploitation and marine environment protection, including the EU’s enforcement of international, regional and national laws.

A highlight during the sessions was the call for a political strong will, trust building measures and respect of principles, and international legal standards to overcome the difference of opinions on sovereignty claims and the gap in response to protect the marine and common living spaces of countries.

The two-day event was co-hosted by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam.

VNA