Minister Ngo Xuan Lich speaks at Shangri-La: Cooperation to gradually resolve conflicts

"The East Sea is one of the areas that contains all the competitive fields in terms of economy, military, diplomacy, and potential for conflict. If we all comply with international law, have responsibility and goodwill, the East Sea will become a sea of ​​peace, cooperation and development," Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich said on June 2 at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

"A few days ago in Hanoi, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and I agreed that Vietnam and China have differences on the East Sea issue, but maintaining peace and cooperation is in the common interests of the two countries and the region," Minister Ngo Xuan Lich added.

He emphasized that this is the foundation for turning the East Sea into a sea of ​​"Peace - Cooperation - Development", on that basis narrowing disagreements, gradually resolving conflicts and disputes, and preventing conflicts from occurring.

"I believe that China is always aware of its role as a major power in the region. They are initiating the idea of ​​building a "Community of Common Destiny" and will support and work with Vietnam and other countries to make it a reality," said Mr. Ngo Xuan Lich. "By doing so, China and Vietnam will contribute a "good model" for dispute resolution."

Vietnam and a number of countries have sovereignty disputes in the East Sea. Vietnam has sufficient legal basis and historical evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Vietnam's policy is that issues related to two countries should be resolved bilaterally, and issues related to many countries should be resolved multilaterally.

Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich is leading the Vietnamese delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum in Singapore that brings together Asia-Pacific defense ministers and officials to discuss regional challenges and security. This year’s dialogue, held from May 31 to June 2, will be attended by Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.