Attending the event, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh frankly and openly shared Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issue which received strong support from other countries. The East Sea has frequently been high on the agenda of ASEAN’s meetings.The 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place as Chinese geological survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8 and escorted vehicles were conducting activities in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, violating Vietnam’s sovereignty and sovereignty rights. China faces international backlash China’s geological survey vessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8’s brazen violations are facing international condemnation. Vietnam has the rights to take all resolute and persistent measures to defend its sovereignty in a peaceful way. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh told AMM-52 and related meetings in Bangkok that China’s serious … [Read more...] about East Sea issue: Trust should not be eroded
Vietnam china south china sea dispute
EU criticises “militarisation” of South China Sea
The "militarisation" of the South China Sea is threatening peace in the contested waterway, the EU's top diplomat said Monday (Aug 5) in Hanoi, echoing warnings from the US as pressure mounts against Beijing's ambitions in the region. Free seas: The EU has called for freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea which Beijing claims most of. (Photo: AFP/Nhac NGUYEN) China has been accused of deploying warships, arming outposts and ramming fishing vessels in the resource-rich sea, sparking ire from other claimants. On Monday, the European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was concerned over "increasing tension" in the area. "We believe that this tension, this militarisation, is definitely not conducive to a peaceful environment," she added. Beijing says it has sovereignty over the majority of the sea based on the so-called nine-dash line it uses to back its claims. The long-running spat was centre stage at a meeting of Southeast Asian … [Read more...] about EU criticises “militarisation” of South China Sea
US senators slam China for South China Sea ‘coercion’
It was the epithet it used while releasing a joint statement made on Thursday by Senators Jim Risch, Bob Menendez, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory Gardner, and Edward Markey, chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, which labels China’s actions "coercion." The statement quotes Risch as saying, "Surveying operations by a state-owned Chinese vessel inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and the deployments of China’s Coast Guard ships are only the latest evidence of China’s willingness to use coercion to assert unlawful claims in the South China Sea." Identifying specific ways to push back China’s aggressive activities in the sea -- known in Vietnam as the East Sea -- should be treated as a priority at the U.S.’s meetings with ASEAN in Thailand this week, he said. He was referring to the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences and … [Read more...] about US senators slam China for South China Sea ‘coercion’
Vietnam PM hopes for Russian support to safeguard peace and stability in East Sea
The Hanoitimes - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Russia have upgraded their relations strategic partnership. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his hope that Russia supports the standpoint and principles of ASEAN in safeguarding peace, and stability in the South China Sea, to which Vietnam refers as East Sea. Phuc made statement when together with other ASEAN leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the third Russia-ASEAN Summit, which is part of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings, in Singapore on November 14. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the 3rd ASEAN-Russia Summit. Photo: Quang Hieu The Vietnamese government leader called for addressing peacefully disputes based on international law, exercising self-restraint, avoiding complicating the situation, fully implementing DOC, and negotiating COC in a practical and efficient way. He said the ASEAN-Russia strategic … [Read more...] about Vietnam PM hopes for Russian support to safeguard peace and stability in East Sea
China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions
Beijing's expansive claims to the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area. Despite disagreements over Beijing's territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiralling dangerously out of control. As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea. "As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise," Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said. Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defense ministers in Singapore, also attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to … [Read more...] about China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions