Disputes in the East Sea: Impacts and Approaches to Peace and Cooperation

Attending the workshop were Ms. Rabea Brauer (Chief Representative of Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Vietnam) and scientists from the United States, Germany, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia...

On the Vietnamese side, there were VNU Director Phung Xuan Nha, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) and experts in many fields from universities and research institutes in Hanoi.

Director of VNU Phung Xuan Nha speaks(Photo: Jackie Chan)

Speaking at the opening session, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh affirmed: the East Sea is an organic, inseparable part of Vietnam, closely linked to the formation and development of the Vietnamese nation. This historical truth is not only shown through historical documents but also proven by international legal documents, recognized by international conferences in the modern period.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh speaks (Photo: Thanh Long)

Regarding the East Sea issue, Vietnam has always affirmed its indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, and is determined to resolve disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of international law. However, the actual developments when China placed the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone have shown the complexity of current conflicts in the East Sea and the challenges that need to be resolved in the coming time.

In that context, this workshop aims to identify the current situation, find out the causes and propose solutions to resolve current conflicts in the East Sea. The results of the workshop will contribute to the implementation of the State's Sea Strategy, protect the territorial sovereignty of the Fatherland and sustainably develop international cooperation relations associated with the East Sea.

Major General Le Van Cuong (Institute for Strategic Studies) presented a paper "China's ambition to monopolize the East Sea: Challenges and adaptability" (Photo: Jackie Chan)

Professor David Arase (Center for China and American Studies) presented the paper "The East Sea in the Big Picture of Great Powers: China and the United States" (Photo: Jackie Chan)

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy presented a paper on "America's Asia pivot policy in the context of escalating tensions in the East Sea dispute" (Photo: Thanh Long)

The main contents discussed at the Workshop: The East Sea in the big picture of the great powers: China and the United States; Territorial disputes in the East Sea in the context of international law; Political and economic approaches in resolving conflicts over territorial disputes at sea: international experiences; Consequences of the conflict between Japan and China to resolve conflicts in the East Sea; ASEAN's viewpoint on the East Sea disputes...