Proposal for ASEAN dialogue on South China Sea security.

At the ASEAN Defence Conference, a proposal was put forward for a ministerial-level dialogue mechanism among ASEAN countries on South China Sea security.

The idea was put forward by the Philippines. The proposal will be reviewed by the ASEAN defense chiefs.

Also at the ADMM (Advanced Maritime Economic Meeting) in Bali yesterday, Vietnam announced the content of the Agreement on Guiding Principles for Resolving the South China Sea Issue between Vietnam and China.

The ADMM was attended by ministers and representatives of the defense ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretary-General. Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defense, led the high-level Vietnamese military delegation attending the Conference.

At the ADMM Narrow Meeting, Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh affirmed that Vietnam has been and will continue to actively cooperate with ASEAN countries, partner nations, and the international community to build a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Southeast Asia.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh also clarified Vietnam's stance on resolving issues related to the East Sea, informing ASEAN countries about the content of the Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Resolution of Maritime Issues between Vietnam and China, which was signed by Vietnam and China during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's recent visit to China.

All countries highly appreciate Vietnam's spirit of independence and self-reliance, but also its strong sense of responsibility in the region, its love for peace, and its efforts in cooperating with relevant parties, especially China, to resolve issues related to the South China Sea in order to maintain overall peace and stability in the region.

The conference reviewed defense and security cooperation activities in 2011 and proposed directions for further cooperation; it also discussed regional security issues of common concern to ASEAN countries. The head of the ASEAN Senior Defense Officials Meeting (ADSOM) from Indonesia, the ASEAN Chair, presented the Report on the results of multilateral defense and military cooperation activities in 2011.

The meeting also considered the proposal to shorten the frequency of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) from the current three-year period to two years or one year in order to enhance the effectiveness of ADMM+ cooperation in the future.

This task was then handed over to Cambodia, the ADMM Chair in 2012, to continue its implementation.

During the exchange of views on regional security issues, all countries acknowledged a rising challenge: natural disasters, which have left tens of millions of people in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam in dire straits.

Maritime security is also a major concern for all countries in the region. ASEAN defense ministers have expressed their desire to build the South China Sea into a region of peace, cooperation, and development, resolving all disputes on the principle of peaceful negotiation, based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), and in the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

At this conference, the Philippine Defense Minister proposed the initiative to hold a Ministerial Dialogue at the ASEAN Defense Minister level on South China Sea security, for the ADMM Heads of Delegation to study and consider.

(Vietnam+)