The event drew the participation of numerous lecturers, scholars and international students interested in recent developments in the East Sea.
At the roundtable discussion, Do Thanh Hai, a Vietnamese postgraduate in Australia presented the major results of his research thesis that clarifies historical and legal foundations for Vietnam’s claims over sovereignty and territorial waters, and explains the nation’s approach to management and dispute resolution in the East Sea in the period 1991- 2011.
According to the speaker, Vietnam has relevant legal arguments and trusted historical evidence to validate the nation’s sovereignty over the sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos. Vietnam has clarified the claims of its territorial waters in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The participants touched upon a broad array of issues relating to the East Sea situation as well as Vietnam’s response measures. Many other scholars also raised concern about Vietnam’s policies and received convincing answers from the speakers.
The seminar showed the Australian scholarly circles and the SDSC’s keen interest in the regional situation and Vietnam's approach to the Sea East issue.
