East sea

 Lucio Blanco Pitlo (Photo: China US Focus) Pitlo said China is increasing interventions in legal maritime economic activities of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. China is putting pressure on foreign companies to stop them from operating within the so-called nine-dash line and imposes groundless sovereignty in surrounding area, Pitlo said. He called China’s actions illegal and said other countries will continue their legal activities to challenge Beijing. Discussing the Chinese survey vessel Hai Yang Shi You 981 crisis, Pitlo said China wants to turn Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) into a disputed area. He said China’s operating ships deep in Vietnam’s EEZ violates the UN Convention of the Law on the Sea and Vietnamese law, and shows that Beijing is ready for further escalation. But these actions may be counterproductive for China, he said. First, they will make the Vietnamese more determined to protect their waters. Second, … [Read more...] about Chinese actions in the East Sea will backfire: Philippine expert

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister  Pham Binh Minh speaks at the general debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the US, September 28, 2019. (Photo: VNA) Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on September 28, Mr. Minh, also Vietnam’s Foreign Minister, said Vietnam supports all efforts to solve conflicts through peaceful methods in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, including negotiation, conciliation and judicial settlement. "We urge relevant parties in the East Sea to respect international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), appropriately referred to as the Constitution for the Oceans,” Mr. Minh said. “Linking the Indian and Pacific oceans, the East Sea is strategically important to peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Efforts by relevant states  have yielded positive outcomes in settling differences and … [Read more...] about International law must be upheld in East Sea, says Vietnamese Deputy PM

Hoang Sa Exhibition House (Photo: Grigory Trofimchuk) Moscow (VNA) – Vietnam owns convincing evidence of its sovereignty in the East Sea, Russian expert Grigory Trofimchuk, Chairman of the Expert Council of the Eurasian Foundation for Support of Scientific Research has said. Trofimchuk made the statement in an article published on Realtribune on October 11, following his Vietnam trip during which he visited the Hoang Sa Exhibition House in the central city of Da Nang. The expert expressed his strong impression on the displayed historical objects featuring Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago in the East Sea, saying the house’s theme is a key one to security in Southeast Asia and the world at large. The exhibits clearly and specifically prove Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa for centuries, he stressed. Trofimchuk suggested further promoting these proofs to foreigners, especially researchers … [Read more...] about Vietnam owns convincing evidence of sovereignty in East Sea

DoS spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus (Source: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The US Department of State on (DoS) has expressed concern over reports that China is hampering other countries’ oil and gas activities in the East Sea, and said its acts threaten regional peace and security, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. DoS spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on July 20 that China’s reclamation and militarisation of disputed outposts in the East Sea, along with other efforts to assert its unlawful East Sea maritime claims, including the use of maritime militia to intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations, undermine the peace and security of the region. By blocking development in the East Sea through coercive means, China prevents ASEAN members from accessing more than 2.5 trillion USD in recoverable energy reserves. These acts by China are interfering in particular with Vietnamese oil and gas exploration and production, she stated. - VNA VNA … [Read more...] about US opposes China’s acts to hamper oil, gas activities in East Sea

A Vietnam Coast Guard ship is on mission around the DK1/15 oil rig. (Photo: VNA) Washington (VNA) – China is engaged in a long-term and consistent campaign of coercing Southeast Asian countries to abandon their legitimate rights in the East Sea, according to an American scholar. Tension has been escalating in the sea since Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 and its escort vessels returned to Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) earlier this month. China’s behaviour has become more challenging as the country has deployed more ships to the East Sea than before, said Gregory B. Poling, Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) and a fellow with the Southeast Asia Programme at the US’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In such context, he urged Southeast Asian nations to demonstrate a clear viewpoint in protecting their rights in line with international law. Echoing Poling’s view, Prof. Stein Tonnesson from the … [Read more...] about Foreign scholars condemn China’s bullying behaviour in East Sea