VietNamNet Bridge – Several Italian parliamentarians have called on concerned parties in the current tension on the East Sea to seek peaceful and cooperative solutions in line with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to ensure freedom of navigation.

In a statement issued on May 16, Deputy Enzo Amendola of the Democratic Party said all unilateral acts will pose serious threat to security in the region, which is one of the world’s economic hubs.

According to him, Italy and Europe should express stronger concern about the current situation in the East Sea at a time when the tension is threatening peace and stability in the region as a whole and might even have an effect on Europe.

Earlier, Senator Antonio Razzi also said the tension between Vietnam and China is the cause of concern for peace and stability in the East Sea region. He expressed hope that the two countries will find a peaceful solution to the dispute, preventing the situation from growing more serious.

Also on May 16, the Sydney Morning Herald of Australia carried an article under the title “China’s maritime push rattles a region”, which said China’s actions have dangerously raised tensions in the East Sea.

“Like its declaration of an air defence zone over islands in the East China Sea contested with Japan, analysts say China’s recent moves fit a pattern of pushing hard to test the response from its neighbours, in a long-term game to assert control over the South China Sea,” the article said.

It quoted Prof. Carl Thayer, an expert on the East Sea for the Australian Defence Force Academy, as saying that China’s actions, which were unexpected, provocative and illegal, have revived fears of the “China threat”.

Thayer said China’s actions are likely to stoke anxieties already held by Southeast Asian nations with territorial claims.

“These states will seek to shore up their own maritime capabilities and to seek reassurance of support from the United States and other maritime powers such as Japan, Australia and India,” he was quoted as saying in the article.    

Source: Vietnam Plus