Vietnam raises South China Sea issue at ASEAN defence meeting
VOV.VN - A Vietnamese military General called for dialogues to be held in order to settle the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, known locally as the East Sea, during the 17th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting on September 24.
Addressing the virtual meeting, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang shared a number of complicated developments which have occurred in the South China Sea in recent times. He urged all concerned parties to refrain from taking action that could potentially complicate the situation further.
Giang therefore stressed the necessity of strengthening dialogues and co-operation ties in an effort to resolve disagreements in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
Throughout the duration of the meeting, Gen. Giang also suggested that the armies commanded by each ASEAN nation strive to improve their co-ordination capability in order to participate in joint regional activities, therefore further promoting the role and effectiveness of existing co-operation mechanisms. Developing the bloc’s military capacity can be done as a means of building trust and strengthening solidarity to respond to common challenges, while also contributing to maintaining ASEAN’s central role in the volatile structure of the region.
At the event, ASEAN defence officials highly appreciated Vietnam’s efforts to fulfill priority initiatives in its role as ASEAN Chair, in which the country has successfully hosted ASEAN conferences on military and defence, proposing and implementing initiatives on COVID-19 control.
The ASEAN defence officials also affirmed that the armies of ASEAN members have been active in carrying out effective co-operation measures within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting plus (ADMM +).
Examining the regional and global situation, participating delegates agreed that the region is currently facing a number of traditional and non-traditional challenges, such as maritime security, cyber security, terrorism, transnational crime, climate change, and epidemics, all of which pose a threat to regional peace and stability.
They therefore voiced their strong support for the maintenance of peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, all on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS.
They also maintained that, given the current regional and international context, the armies of ASEAN countries should strengthen substantive co-operation and intra-bloc cohesion in order to consolidate mutual trust and respond to common challenges. This can be done to contribute to completing the ASEAN Community building objectives and enhancing the bloc’s centrality in the region and the wider world.
