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’
US, Britain conduct first joint drills in contested South China Sea
The two navies announced the news on Wednesday, as Washington seeks help from allies to keep pressure on Beijing. A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer the USS McCampbell, which is based in Japan, and a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Argyll, which is on a tour of Asia, conducted communication drills and other exercises from Friday to Wednesday "to address common security priorities", the U.S. Navy said in a press release. "There’s no record in recent history of operations together, specifically in the South China Sea," a U.S. Navy spokesman said. No such joint drills have been conducted there since at least 2010, he added. The exercise comes after another British warship, the 22,000 ton HMS Albion, sailed close to the Paracel island chain claimed by China in the South China Sea in August. It was the first time Britain had directly challenged China’s growing control of the strategic waterway and came after the United States said it would like to see more international participation … [Read more...] about US, Britain conduct first joint drills in contested South China Sea
Vietnam, China top diplomats meet for maritime, trade issues
The Hanoitimes - Pham and Wang all agreed that the two countries need to closely implement the consensus reached by top leaders in solving maritime issues. Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh has talked with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi about further cooperation for stability in the South China Sea, to which Vietnam refers as the East Sea, and measures to narrow the trade gap Vietnam incurs with the northern neighbor. Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met his Chinese counterpart at the 4th LMC meeting. Photo: VNA The two top diplomats met at the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting taking place on Dec 16-17 in Laos. Pham and Wang all agreed that the two countries need to closely implement the consensus reached by the two countries' top leaders in solving maritime issues on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. … [Read more...] about Vietnam, China top diplomats meet for maritime, trade issues