Australian policy experts are deeply concerned about the current tensions in the East Sea, following China’s illegal placement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. 

(VOV) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton have discussed measures to boost Vietnam-EU ties, including the exchange of high-level delegations in future.

(VOV) - China’s actions over the recent days have been seen as a fanfare of power threatening Vietnamese ships.

A Vietnamese representative at the United Nations has called on nations to join hands in building up the effective management of maritime resources, ensuring food security in each country.

The escalating tension in the East Sea, a key navigation route as well as a site believed to habour vast deposits of oil, did and will have considerable implications for regional security, foreign scholars said at a round-table workshop in Singapore on May 28. 

(VOV) - Vietnamese ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong has stressed that Vietnam wants to maintain long-held friendly relations with China, but it does not accept any acts of coercion or threat.

(VOV) - US President Barack Obama on May 28 expressed concern about increased tensions in the East Sea and said the US supports ASEAN in formulating a code of conduct (COC) with China to settle maritime disputes in the sea.

(VOV) - US Senator Benjamin Cardin has rebuked China’s recent unilateral and provocative actions in the East Sea which he said threaten not only Vietnam’s security but also the safety, security and freedom of navigation in the region.

The Hoa (ethnic Chinese) community in Ho Chi Minh City has expressed very strong disapproval of China’s illegal act of placing the Haiyang Shiyou-981 oil rig in Vietnam’s waters. 

(VOV) -The Boston Global Forum (BGF) on May 28 announced its new Boston Global Forum Initiative to take swift action for a call to peace in the East Sea.