Defend the Defenders | June 9, 2014
About thirty European scholars attending a recent workshop in Norway refuted China’s groundless claim of the “nine-dash line” or “U-shaped line” in the East Sea, saying that that map cannot be used for sovereignty negotiations.
Meeting at the seminar held by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) on June 5, delegates examined challenges to maritime security in East Asia, especially mounting tensions in the Vietnam East Sea and the East China Sea that might cause conflicts in the region.
They also underlined the need to build confidence and strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Attending the event, a representative of the Vietnamese Embassy updated the delegates on major developments in the East Sea and Vietnam’s initial steps towards settling the territorial dispute after China illegally stationed its Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, and dispatched vessels, including warships, to attack Vietnamese law enforcement ships.
The scholars expressed their deep concern about China’s unilateral action against international law in the East Sea for threatening security and safety of international navigation.
Professor Geoffrey Till from Defense Studies Department at King’s College London said China failed to respect and fully observe the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), such behaviors could lead to potential conflicts.
The delegates discussed China’s provocative actions in the East Sea as well as their impact on security and stability in East Asia.
Professor Stein Tonnesson from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and other delegates shared the view that China should respect international law.
They called on China and other parties concerned to develop an effective mechanism for controlling potential conflicts in the East Sea and to sit at the negotiating table to handle disputes peacefully. (vov.vn June 8)
Vietnam NA Calls on IPU to Condemn China’s Aggressiveness in East Sea
Vietnam’s legislative body National Assembly has called on the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other international organizations to condemn the Chinese violations of the Vietnamese sovereignty in the East Sea.
In its letter sent to the IPU and numerous international bodies, the Vietnamese parliament informed about China’s aggressiveness in the East Sea and proposed them support Vietnam in settling the dispute peacefully.
The recent Chinese deployment of Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling platform and the escort flotilla of over one hundred ships in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone is a serious violation of international law and causes instability as well as affects international navigation in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the letter sent to the IPU’s president and general secretary.
The National Assembly and people of Vietnam are indignant and determined to defend their sovereignty, the letter wrote, adding Hanoi has exercised restraint, shown goodwill, and taken peaceful measures in accordance with international law asking China to withdraw its oil rig and escort forces from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
It proposed that inter-parliamentary organizations of regions and the world voice stronger support for Vietnam’s just stance, take necessary measures to demand China to abide by international law and immediately withdraw its oil rig and escort forces out of Vietnam’s waters. (Nong Nghiep Viet Nam June 9 p2, vov.vn June 8)
Philippine, Vietnamese Troops Hold Friendship Activities
Combat sailors from the Vietnam People’s Navy and the Philippine Navy on June 8 held friendship-promotion activities on Vietnam’s Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay) Island in the East Sea in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation amid rising tensions with China.
During the day, 40 Filipino troops played soccer and volleyball with the Vietnamese marines stationed on the island on the Vietnamese Truong Sa (Spratlys), which is also partly claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia.
They also shared information on maritime security, natural disaster warnings and search and rescue operations.
Colonel Le Xuan Thuy, a Vietnamese naval official, said the event reflected the goodwill between the two countries. He told troops from both sides that current conditions in the region were complicated by the “unruly actions of China seriously violating international laws.”
“We are not only bringing down walls of mistrust and suspicion with one another but building trust and confidence towards peacefully resolving our competing claims,” one Filipino officer said.
The gathering underscores the growing cooperation between Hanoi and Manila, the two countries affected the most by the increasing aggressiveness of Beijing in the East Sea. Recently, China has conducted numerous moves violating sovereignty of Vietnam and the Philippines with aim to assert its claim of nearly the entire sea.
Last month, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Manila where he held talks with Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III to deepen bilateral cooperation, including defense.
At a meeting in Manila on May 22 between Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Filipino Chief of the General Staff Emmanuel Bautista and Deputy Defense Minister Honorio Azcueta, the two sides vowed to boost bilateral defense ties, especially in navies and coast guards amid escalating tensions in the East Sea.
The two countries will hold the first defense dialogue in Hanoi to facilitate military cooperation in the coming years. A Vietnamese guided missile cruiser will soon visit Manila, according to the Filipino side.
Meanwhile, China is building a $3 billion airstrip in Gac Ma (John Son Reef), one island Beijing violently took from Hanoi in 1988 after a bloody battle where 64 Vietnamese soldiers were brutally killed by Chinese Navy.
China is planning to build a number of artificial islands on Truong Sa with the aim of setting up an air defense identification zone, similar to that in the East China Sea.
Vietnam claims the whole of Truong Sa and effectively controls 29 islands there. China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines hold several islands each.
China claims 90% of the 3.5 million square kilometers of waters in the East Sea. In 2009, it sent the UN its nine-dashed map claiming sovereignty over Vietnamese Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa as well as the Filipino Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing rejects the invitation of Manila to solve the territorial disputes at an international court while Vietnam is threatening to use legal action to challenge China’s violations to its sovereignty. (Thanh Nien June 8, Quan Doi Nhan Dan June 9 p8)
Ruling Parties from Vietnam, Cambodia Enhance Ties
A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), led by Deputy Head Nguyen Huy Tang of the party’s Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, is visiting Cambodia in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
On June 6 in Phnom Penh, Mr. Tang and his entourage were received by Tep Ngorn, member of the CPP’s Central Committee who thanked Vietnam for its valuable, timely and effective assistance to Cambodia over the years.
Mr. Tep Ngorn, who is also vice president of Cambodia’s Senate, asserted that the CPP and the Cambodian people will try their best to preserve and develop the traditional friendship between the two countries.
Mr. Tang informed his host of China’s illegal placement of HYSY 981 drilling platform in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, stating the Vietnam’s stance is to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty by peaceful means on the basis of international law.
In turn, Tep Ngorn voiced concern about the current situation in the East Sea and called on the parties involved to exercise restraint and accelerate negotiations to solve the issue peacefully in respect for international law.
On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation had working sessions with the CPP’s commissions, and the CPP committees of Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap.
In the past, Vietnam gave great assistance for the CPP in fighting against the Khmer Rouge regime as well as maintaining power in the neighbor country. However, Hanoi has lost its influence over Mr. Hun Sen’s government as China is pouring huge investment in Cambodia.
In 2012, during its chairmanship of the ASEAN, Cambodia voted against putting the East Sea issues in the bloc’s joint communique at a summit held in Phnom Penh. (Vietnam News Agency June 8)
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June 10, 2014
DTD’s Vietnam News: European Scholars Reject China’s U-shaped Claim in East Sea
by HR Defender • [Human Rights]
Defend the Defenders | June 9, 2014
About thirty European scholars attending a recent workshop in Norway refuted China’s groundless claim of the “nine-dash line” or “U-shaped line” in the East Sea, saying that that map cannot be used for sovereignty negotiations.
Meeting at the seminar held by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) on June 5, delegates examined challenges to maritime security in East Asia, especially mounting tensions in the Vietnam East Sea and the East China Sea that might cause conflicts in the region.
They also underlined the need to build confidence and strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Attending the event, a representative of the Vietnamese Embassy updated the delegates on major developments in the East Sea and Vietnam’s initial steps towards settling the territorial dispute after China illegally stationed its Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, and dispatched vessels, including warships, to attack Vietnamese law enforcement ships.
The scholars expressed their deep concern about China’s unilateral action against international law in the East Sea for threatening security and safety of international navigation.
Professor Geoffrey Till from Defense Studies Department at King’s College London said China failed to respect and fully observe the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), such behaviors could lead to potential conflicts.
The delegates discussed China’s provocative actions in the East Sea as well as their impact on security and stability in East Asia.
Professor Stein Tonnesson from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and other delegates shared the view that China should respect international law.
They called on China and other parties concerned to develop an effective mechanism for controlling potential conflicts in the East Sea and to sit at the negotiating table to handle disputes peacefully. (vov.vn June 8)
Vietnam NA Calls on IPU to Condemn China’s Aggressiveness in East Sea
Vietnam’s legislative body National Assembly has called on the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and other international organizations to condemn the Chinese violations of the Vietnamese sovereignty in the East Sea.
In its letter sent to the IPU and numerous international bodies, the Vietnamese parliament informed about China’s aggressiveness in the East Sea and proposed them support Vietnam in settling the dispute peacefully.
The recent Chinese deployment of Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling platform and the escort flotilla of over one hundred ships in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone is a serious violation of international law and causes instability as well as affects international navigation in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the letter sent to the IPU’s president and general secretary.
The National Assembly and people of Vietnam are indignant and determined to defend their sovereignty, the letter wrote, adding Hanoi has exercised restraint, shown goodwill, and taken peaceful measures in accordance with international law asking China to withdraw its oil rig and escort forces from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
It proposed that inter-parliamentary organizations of regions and the world voice stronger support for Vietnam’s just stance, take necessary measures to demand China to abide by international law and immediately withdraw its oil rig and escort forces out of Vietnam’s waters. (Nong Nghiep Viet Nam June 9 p2, vov.vn June 8)
Philippine, Vietnamese Troops Hold Friendship Activities
Combat sailors from the Vietnam People’s Navy and the Philippine Navy on June 8 held friendship-promotion activities on Vietnam’s Song Tu Tay (Southwest Cay) Island in the East Sea in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation amid rising tensions with China.
During the day, 40 Filipino troops played soccer and volleyball with the Vietnamese marines stationed on the island on the Vietnamese Truong Sa (Spratlys), which is also partly claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Malaysia.
They also shared information on maritime security, natural disaster warnings and search and rescue operations.
Colonel Le Xuan Thuy, a Vietnamese naval official, said the event reflected the goodwill between the two countries. He told troops from both sides that current conditions in the region were complicated by the “unruly actions of China seriously violating international laws.”
“We are not only bringing down walls of mistrust and suspicion with one another but building trust and confidence towards peacefully resolving our competing claims,” one Filipino officer said.
The gathering underscores the growing cooperation between Hanoi and Manila, the two countries affected the most by the increasing aggressiveness of Beijing in the East Sea. Recently, China has conducted numerous moves violating sovereignty of Vietnam and the Philippines with aim to assert its claim of nearly the entire sea.
Last month, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited Manila where he held talks with Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III to deepen bilateral cooperation, including defense.
At a meeting in Manila on May 22 between Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and Filipino Chief of the General Staff Emmanuel Bautista and Deputy Defense Minister Honorio Azcueta, the two sides vowed to boost bilateral defense ties, especially in navies and coast guards amid escalating tensions in the East Sea.
The two countries will hold the first defense dialogue in Hanoi to facilitate military cooperation in the coming years. A Vietnamese guided missile cruiser will soon visit Manila, according to the Filipino side.
Meanwhile, China is building a $3 billion airstrip in Gac Ma (John Son Reef), one island Beijing violently took from Hanoi in 1988 after a bloody battle where 64 Vietnamese soldiers were brutally killed by Chinese Navy.
China is planning to build a number of artificial islands on Truong Sa with the aim of setting up an air defense identification zone, similar to that in the East China Sea.
Vietnam claims the whole of Truong Sa and effectively controls 29 islands there. China, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines hold several islands each.
China claims 90% of the 3.5 million square kilometers of waters in the East Sea. In 2009, it sent the UN its nine-dashed map claiming sovereignty over Vietnamese Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa as well as the Filipino Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing rejects the invitation of Manila to solve the territorial disputes at an international court while Vietnam is threatening to use legal action to challenge China’s violations to its sovereignty. (Thanh Nien June 8, Quan Doi Nhan Dan June 9 p8)
Ruling Parties from Vietnam, Cambodia Enhance Ties
A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), led by Deputy Head Nguyen Huy Tang of the party’s Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, is visiting Cambodia in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).
On June 6 in Phnom Penh, Mr. Tang and his entourage were received by Tep Ngorn, member of the CPP’s Central Committee who thanked Vietnam for its valuable, timely and effective assistance to Cambodia over the years.
Mr. Tep Ngorn, who is also vice president of Cambodia’s Senate, asserted that the CPP and the Cambodian people will try their best to preserve and develop the traditional friendship between the two countries.
Mr. Tang informed his host of China’s illegal placement of HYSY 981 drilling platform in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, stating the Vietnam’s stance is to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty by peaceful means on the basis of international law.
In turn, Tep Ngorn voiced concern about the current situation in the East Sea and called on the parties involved to exercise restraint and accelerate negotiations to solve the issue peacefully in respect for international law.
On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation had working sessions with the CPP’s commissions, and the CPP committees of Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap.
In the past, Vietnam gave great assistance for the CPP in fighting against the Khmer Rouge regime as well as maintaining power in the neighbor country. However, Hanoi has lost its influence over Mr. Hun Sen’s government as China is pouring huge investment in Cambodia.
In 2012, during its chairmanship of the ASEAN, Cambodia voted against putting the East Sea issues in the bloc’s joint communique at a summit held in Phnom Penh. (Vietnam News Agency June 8)