ASEAN’s central role in East Sea dispute settlement urged

ASEAN, therefore, needs to reinforce its centrality and connect closely with the evolving regional architecture to contribute to maintaining peace and handling disputes and disagreements in the East Sea, Dr Nguyen Nam Duong, Deputy Director of the Strategic Research Institute of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam noted.

The disputes in the East Sea are currently settled through the Declaration of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and a Code of Conducts in the East Sea (COC) is expected to help, according to Duong. 

According to Patrick Cronin, Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Programme at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), all countries had a responsibility to uphold international law.

The US has always highly evaluated the role of ASEAN and its member states in settling regional disputes and wished to assist the bloc in global issues, he said. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of International Studies Institute of Fudan University of China Prof. Shen Dingli said the only way to maintain stability in the East Sea is through peace dialogues.

The seventh international conference on the East Sea is underway in the southern city of Vung Tau from November 23-24. 

It is jointly held by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the Foundation for East Sea Studies (FESS), and the Vietnam Lawyers Association, aiming to create a significant forum for specialists and scholars to discuss and evaluate the situation in the East Sea with a view to maintaining and protecting peace and stability in the waters.

In recent years, the East Sea situation has emerged as one of the most important security issues in East Asia.