Italian MPs speak out against China’s actions in the East Sea

This is the first time the Chamber of Deputies has organised a hearing on the East Sea issues, to which they invited the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Nguyen Hoang Long. 

Fabrizio Cicchitto, Chairman of the Committee of External Affairs, said the hearing was held to clarify the security issues and sovereignty disputes in the region, with a focus on China’s violations of international law. The session aimed to analyse the different roles of the countries in the region, including Vietnam. 

Addressing the hearing, Ambassador Long confirmed Vietnam’s sovereignty over islands in the East Sea. He avowed Vietnam’s respect for the status quo in the East Sea, opposing the use of force or threats to use force. 

Long said Vietnam pledged to solve disagreements through dialogues on the principle of respecting territorial sovereignty and integrity in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), in order to find a long-term solution that meets the legitimate interest of all the parties involved and turn the East Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and development. 

Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, from the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy’s Institute for East Sea Studies, provided the Italian MPs with an update on the current East Sea tensions, their causes and impacts, Vietnam’s reaction and possible EU contributions to peace and stability in the East Sea. 

Italian MPs expressed their concern over China’s actions, which violate international laws and threaten peace and stability in the region. They said these actions could increase the risk of conflict considering there is currently no regional dispute settling mechanism in place. 

The MPs called upon the Italian Government and other European states to speak out against illegal action in the East Sea in order to safeguard the observance of international laws and secure peace and stability in the region and the world at large.