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 it cannot be
used for sovereign negotiations.
Meeting at
the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) on June 5,
delegates examined challenges to maritime security in East Asia, especially
mounting tensions in the East and East China Seas that might cause conflicts in
the region.
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Meeting at the Norwegian Institute
of International Affairs
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They also underlined the
need to build confidence and strengthen maritime security cooperation in the
Asia-Pacific region.
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 drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 deep inside
Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, and dispatched vessels, including warships,
to intimidate and attack Vietnamese law enforcement boats.
The scholars expressed
their deep concern about China’s unilateral action against international law in
the East Sea, which they said is threatening security and safety of
international navigation.
Professor Geoffrey Till
from Defence 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), that 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 which has been the centrepiece of the world
public for more than a month.
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.
Support
for Vietnam’s legal action
At a recent interview
granted to Vietnam Television, European scholars supported Vietnam’s use of
legal actions against China in accordance with international law.
Professor Bernard Insel
from University of Brussels noted that the position where China is placing its
oil rig is clearly inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
According to the
professor, the issue is more complicated when China claims sovereignty in the
rig area of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago that China used force to
occupy illegally in 1974.
Professor Eric David from
the Free University of Brussels stated that China’s actions are provocative,
because it is aware that the waters where the oil rig is standing are part of
Vietnamese territory.
Vietnam has the right to
say that the Chinese move threatens its sovereignty, as well as global peace
and security.
Besides Vietnam, he said
the Philippines is also engaged in a similar territorial dispute with China,
and the country has decided to bring China to the international arbitration
court in the Hague.
Lawyer Eric Van Hooydong,
an international legal expert, said if bilateral or multilateral negotiations
collapse, Vietnam could sue China in the International Court of Justice or the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg,
Germany.
Vietnam should also seek
another solution through arbitration mechanism, he suggested. Source: VNA/VOV
