ASEAN–China cooperate in rescue in the East Sea

On the morning of June 19, the ASEAN-China Workshop on Search and Rescue for People and Ships in Distress in the East Sea opened in Hanoi.

ASEAN – China Workshop with the theme “Enhancing ASEAN – China cooperation in search and rescue of people and seafaring vessels in distress in the East Sea” organized by the Diplomatic Academy.
The workshop is a measure in the Action Plan to implement the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), adopted by senior officials of ASEAN and China at the January 2012 meeting in Beijing.

ASEAN – China Workshop on “Enhancing ASEAN – China Cooperation in Search and Rescue of People and Ships in Distress in the East Sea”

The purpose of the Workshop is to seek solutions to promote cooperation between ASEAN and China in searching and rescuing people and vessels in distress in the East Sea, contributing to strengthening the peaceful, stable and orderly environment in the East Sea, thereby building trust between ASEAN and China in the context of sovereignty and sovereign rights disputes in the East Sea that have not been thoroughly resolved.

The workshop was attended by nearly 40 delegates, including officials and experts from ASEAN countries, China and relevant agencies in the field of search and rescue at sea in Vietnam.

In his opening speech at the workshop, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh emphasized the importance of the DOC to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea. He said that ASEAN and China have come a long way, with many difficulties and challenges, to reach the DOC Declaration in 2002 and recently the Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of the DOC (2012).

ASEAN has also adopted the Six-Point Principles on the East Sea (July 2012) and countries are expecting the two sides to soon officially start negotiations to reach a Code of Conduct (COC). The DOC is therefore a landmark document between ASEAN and China, demonstrating a common commitment to respecting international law, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the principles of exercising self-restraint, not complicating the situation, not using or threatening to use force, and peacefully resolving disputes. These are essential rules stipulated in the DOC, along with confidence-building measures.

Deputy Minister Pham Quang Vinh emphasized that fully implementing the DOC and working together towards the COC to ensure peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation is a measure to build trust in accordance with the spirit of commitment between the parties concerned.

Delegates take souvenir photos at the Conference

Nowadays, there are many uncertainties and risks at sea, with many causes, both natural and weather, and human factors, as well as illness or ship damage, that can lead to people and ships at sea getting into trouble.

Deputy Minister Pham Quang Vinh emphasized that for humanitarian purposes, ASEAN and China need to cooperate to have necessary and appropriate search and rescue coordination measures that are meaningful both in terms of humanity and building trust. In the region, there have been many valuable experiences in bilateral or multilateral cooperation in this field.

As a coastal country, with the desire and goodwill to promote trust building and regional cooperation for common peace and stability in the East Sea, Vietnam has paid great attention to promoting regional cooperation in search and rescue of people and vessels in distress at sea.

During Vietnam's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2010, Vietnam proposed an initiative in this field, which was welcomed and supported by ASEAN countries, with ASEAN Foreign Ministers unanimously adopting the ASEAN Declaration on Cooperation in Search and Rescue of Persons and Vessels at Sea.

This workshop is a continuation of Vietnam's implementation of the above idea within the framework of ASEAN-China cooperation, focusing on discussing three issues: The current situation and the necessity of developing common measures to support people and ships in distress in the East Sea; Factors affecting the coordination of humanitarian assistance in the region; Specific recommendations on enhancing cooperation in the field of search and rescue for people and ships in distress in the East Sea.

The workshop will end tomorrow, June 20. The results of the workshop will be reported to ASEAN and Chinese Senior Officials for consideration./.

According to (vov.vn) - LT