According to the declaration, participants agreed that the East Sea is a multilateral issue, from maintaining peace and stability, to ensuring free travel and the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) signed between ASEAN member countries and China in October, 2002.

The declaration affirmed that China’s claim of territorial sea sovereignty with the “nine dotted line” or “U-shaped line” on the map which accounts for 80 percent of the East Sea area is irrelevant in the current context and is criticised by the international community.

Concerned parties need to keep their commitments to deal with territorial and legal disputes in the East Sea through peaceful negotiations in conformity with international rules and law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the five principles of peaceful coexistence, strengthening efforts to build trust, multilateral cooperation on maritime safety, scientific research, crime prevention, and looking towards the signing of the Code of the Conduct on the East Sea (COC), the declaration said.

The future signing of the COC would be a joint effort of ASEAN and China, showing a positive move towards peace and stability in the region, according to the declaration.

Not only regional countries, but also powerful nations outside the region such as the US, Australia, Russia, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea which play a useful role in maintaining the current situation need to support the DOC, it said.

The declaration added that ASEAN and China should continue to take positive steps on the DOC and speed up efforts towards the signing of the COC.

The ASEAN Secretariat may have more power in conducting a peaceful process to deal with conflicts, it said, adding that ASEAN must adhere to the principle of unity, solidarity and unanimity in coordinating and developing the bloc’s position in dialogues with its partners related to East Sea issues and discussions on the COC.

The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus mechanism should be viewed as an important forum to accelerate constructive commitments between ASEAN and its partners in strategic, security and defence issues that have impacts on the region.

Themed, “Prospects of Cooperation and Convergence of the Issues and Dynamics in the East Sea”, the seminar drew the participation of 150 delegates, including scholars and researchers from Indonesia, India, Vietnam, the US, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and representatives from embassies of ASEAN countries, the US, Russia and China.

In his closing speech, A.B Mahapatra, Director of India’s Centre for Asian Strategic Studies, affirmed that dealing with disputes and building trust in the context of global independence and complex conflicts are urgent needs.

In that spirit, building capacity and trust in the East Sea and institutionalising dialogues on issues that may cause differences would provide necessary support for the Asia-Pacific.