The international community has, over the past few days,
raised strong voice against China’s brazen act of deploying its oil rig Haiyang
Shiyou 981 and dozens of escort vessels, including corvettes and missile
frigates into Viet Nam’s continental shelf.
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The HD-981 oil rig is located deep in the exclusive
economic zone of Vietnam
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This is the first time that China has encountered such strong
objections. The aggressive acts of China were fully exposed in publicized video
clips, in which Chinese ships violently attacked Vietnamese civilian vessels by
ramming or firing high - pressure water cannon, causing damage to properties
and Vietnamese fishermen onboard.
Given the aggressive actions of China, the United Nations for the
first time voiced their concerns over the East Sea situation. “The UN Secretary General has noted
with concerns over the escalating tensions in the East Sea, particularly
between China and Viet Nam over the last several days. The UN Secretary General
has called on the parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint and resolve
their dispute in a peaceful manner, through dialogue and in conformity with
international law, including the UN Charter”, said Farhan Haq, the UN
deputy spokesperson. Immediately following the UN
formal announcements, correspondents from Shimbun and Kyodo news of Japan, and
Itar Tass of Russia raised
several questions on the issue, including on the role of the UN in settling the
tension, and the stance of the UN on China’s deployment of its oil rig in the
East Sea. Although the UN spokesperson did not respond directly to the
questions, the questions from international correspondents indicated deep
concerns over the tension in the East Sea.
In response to China’s placement of the oil rig in Viet Nam’s continental shelf,
thus directly threatening peace, stability, maritime safety and security in the
East Sea, the EU also issued a statement on the tension in the East Sea, “We
are concerned about recent incidents involving China and Viet Nam relating to
the movements of the Chinese oil rig HY - 981. In particular, the EU is
concerned that unilateral actions could affect the security environment in the
region, as evidenced by reports about the recent collision of Vietnamese and
Chinese vessels”. The statement also called on
the parties to undertake de - escalating measures and
refrain from any unilateral action which would be detrimental to peace and
stability in the region.
China’s illegal installation of its oil rig HY - 981 within Viet Nam’s continental shelf
and exclusive economic zone has turned the East Sea issue into a key agenda
item of the ASEAN Summit held on 11 May 2014. ASEAN Foreign Ministers, for the
first time after 20 years, issued a stand - alone statement on the East Sea
situation on 10 May 2014. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers
expressed deep concerns over the incidents that escalated tensions in the East
Sea and the region. The ministers called on the parties concerned, in
compliance with the universally recognized principles of international law and
the 1982 UNCLOS, to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that may jeopardise peace and stability of the
region, settle disputes by peaceful means, not to use or threaten to use force.
The new move indicates ASEAN’s higher unanimity on the East Sea issue as well
as in face of China’s provocative acts.
China’s aggressive actions have unveiled Beijing’s real “face” in
its relations with neighboring countries, and enabled ASEAN to realise the need for greater unity to prevent China’s provocative actions.
The three “first time” suggest that China’s dangerous actions are
threatening peace and stability not only of the region but also of the wider
world. As the saying goes, “you reap what you sow”, in this case, China has
received condemnation from the international community for their wrongdoings.
Gregory Poling, expert of the South East Asia Studies Institute of the
U.S. CSIS, said that “China has violated both the Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), and if China failed to end what it is doing, it will face long -
term consequences”.
chuquyenbiendao
