Major General Le Van Cuong: Tensions in the East Sea affect the interests of all ASEAN countries

After leaving Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf on August 7, the Haiyang Dizhi 8 and its escort ships returned on August 13, seriously violating Vietnam's waters.

Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has declared her opposition to China's repeated serious violations, demanding that China withdraw all of the above-mentioned ships from Vietnam's waters, respect Vietnam's sovereignty, jurisdiction, and legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international law.

Associate Professor, Dr. Major General Le Van Cuong - former Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, Ministry of Public Security, discussed the situation in the East Sea and China's violations of international law.

PV: By sending the Haiyang Dizhi 8 ship and its escorts back to Vietnam's Tu Chinh Shoal area, to what extent has China violated international law, sir?

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Le Van Cuong:The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that in the exclusive economic zones of countries, when a foreign country wants to explore, exploit or fish, it must ask permission from the host country. Without the consent of the host country, such an act is a violation of international law, a violation of the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the country with the exclusive economic zone.

In this case, China's action of towing the Haiyang 8 ship to explore Vietnam's Tu Chinh Shoal is a serious violation of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.

This action by China also violates the Declaration on the Code of Conduct (DOC) that China signed with ASEAN countries in Cambodia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping himself has publicly pledged 10 times to the leaders of Vietnam and ASEAN countries that China always demonstrates its responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability in the East Sea.

In the Chinese Defense White Paper released on July 24, China declared that it would never take any action to encroach on the sovereignty of another country. Thus, China's action of sending ships to explore Vietnam's Tu Chinh Shoal is essentially contrary to all international law, contrary to what China has committed to the world and Vietnam.Therefore, this action of China seriously damages China's reputation in the international arena.

PV:How do you evaluate Vietnam's response to China's violations of Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf?

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Le Van Cuong: Vietnam has responded seriously and positively. Diplomatically, Vietnam has twice declared to the international community that Vietnam opposes China's actions.

I think that is clear, reflecting the viewpoint of the Vietnamese Government. And on the government side, there has been a diplomatic note sent to the Chinese counterpart protesting the action of sending the Haiyang 8 ship to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. International public opinion believes that Vietnam's response to this event is appropriate, serious, sufficiently firm and without provocation.

PV: China's reckless actions at Tu Chinh Shoal are not only a gross violation of Vietnam's sovereignty but also affect the general security and stability in the region. In this context, what role should ASEAN play to maintain peace and stability in the region, sir?

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Le Van Cuong:The South China Sea disputes in terms of sovereignty and interests only involve China – Vietnam, China – Philippines, China – Malaysia, China – Brunei. However, the fluctuations in the South China Sea directly affect the interests of the 10 ASEAN countries.

Chinese ship Haiyang Dizhi 8. Small image Image posted on Twitter by Associate Professor Ryan Martinson shows the voyage of the Haiyang Dizhi 8 ship violating Vietnam's exclusive economic zone - Screenshot HK01

Countries that do not have disputes with China also have interests here, because the East Sea is the world's busiest shipping route. 35% of global trade, worth 5 trillion USD, passes through the East Sea.

ASEAN countries that do not have disputes with China certainly also use this transportation route with Japan, with Europe, with the Middle East and Africa.

In terms of interests, the issues taking place in the East Sea directly affect the interests of all 10 ASEAN countries, not just the 5 countries directly dealing with China. Therefore, I think the most appropriate attitude for ASEAN is to be united.

Dozens of times China has brazenly violated the sovereignty of Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries. This requires ASEAN to have a unified awareness and a unified voice. Only then can we prevent further actions by China.

Do not think that because this country is not involved in the East Sea dispute, it will stay out of it. Remember, if your neighbor’s house is on fire, if you do not help put out the fire, your own house will burn down too. Furthermore, ASEAN needs to have a unified voice on the East Sea issue to establish its position as the center of global power connectivity in the current context.

The current global political power structure places the 10 ASEAN countries in a central position connecting the East-West, South-North powers. However, ASEAN can only fulfill this role when it unites with each other, together demonstrating a positive attitude to promote the trend of peace and cooperation, opposing all actions that violate international law and infringe upon the sovereignty of other countries. That is the only path that ASEAN needs to choose to enhance its position and role in this region and at the same time protect the legitimate interests of all ASEAN countries in the face of disputes and fluctuations in the East Sea.

PV: Thank you sir./.