Vietnam calls for calm negotiations over maritime conduct

Vietnam wants all parties to stay calm and work for a Code of Conduct that is enforceable and regulates the behavior of all parties in disputed waters of the South China Sea under international law, a senior official said.

The country is worried about China’s military actions that go against regional declaration of conduct in the South China Sea, because they can negatively impact negotiations on a Code of Conduct for the disputed waters, which is known in Vietnam as the East Sea.

Vietnamese deputy foreign minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said Wednesday that China’s island reconstruction and installation and testing of military equipment in disputed areas went against the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of the Parties in the South China Sea.

He was speaking at the 15th ASEAN-China Senior Officials Meeting on the Implementation of the DOC, which gathered representatives of all 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members apart from host China, in Hunan.

Representatives of 10 ASEAN countries and China pose for photos at the 15th ASEAN-China Senior Officials Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea Hunan, China. Photo courtesy of the Vietnamese Embassy in China

Attending the meeting was Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou.

The Vietnamese deputy foreign minister called on all parties in the disputed waterway to stay calm and not complicate the situation so as to create a better environment for the COC negotiations.

He said that the COC should be enforceable and work as a means of regulating the behavior of all parties in the East Sea, in accordance with international law, especially the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea - UNCLOS 1982, and contribute to the building of a peaceful, stable, rule-based region.

Officials attending the meeting highlighted the importance of fully and effectively adhering to the DOC in maintaining a cooperative dialogue for peace and stability in the flashpoint waters.

They also emphasized the need to further promote and expand confidence-building measures within the framework of DOC implementation, both in the field and in the implementation of collaborative activities.