International workshop on the status of sovereignty in the East Sea

On the morning of October 23, the International Conference on “The Current Situation of the East Sea Sovereignty Issue and Solutions” co-organized by Chosun University and Vietnam National University, Hanoi took place at Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.

Attending the workshop were Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Tran Trong Toan, President of Chosun University Suh Jae-hong and many professors, researchers, students and postgraduates from the two countries.

Delegates attending the conference. (Photo: Anh Nguyen-Viet Cuong/Vietnam+)

A VNA reporter from Gwangju said that in his opening speech at the conference, President of Chosun University Suh Jae-hong emphasized that with the goal of exchanging views and related historical evidence frankly and openly, he hoped that researchers would come up with recommended solutions, contributing to helping countries resolve disputes peacefully and maintain stability in the region.

In his speech, Ambassador Tran Trong Toan emphasized: "This is a very important and practical conference in the context of increasingly fierce territorial disputes at sea and over exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia."

According to the Ambassador, as a coastal country of the East Sea and a member of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea, Vietnam has full historical and legal evidence to affirm its sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. At the same time, VietnamMalealso has sovereignty and jurisdiction over internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf determined in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Ambassador Tran Trong Toan attended the conference.

Vietnam's stance on resolving disputes in the East Sea is clear and consistent: Vietnam commits to strictly implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the Guidelines for the Implementation of the DOC between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, the Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Resolution of Maritime Issues between Vietnam and China, and actively commits to working with ASEAN countries to promote negotiations to soon sign with China the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with the spirit of the 6-point Statement.

During the one-day conference, scholars will present papers on “Similarities and differences in territorial disputes between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia: The case of island sovereignty between Vietnam and South Korea;” “Basis and historical truth on Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands;” “Vietnam’s strategy in the face of conflicts over ownership of archipelagos in the East Sea and Ho Chi Minh nationalism;” “The current status of sovereignty disputes in the East Sea and some of Vietnam’s viewpoints on resolving current East Sea disputes;” “On China’s claim of sovereignty over the East Sea”....

According to VNA-M