$0Domestic and foreign scholars suggested ideas for maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea at the ongoing international symposium on the East Sea workshop in Hanoi on November 11. $0 $0 Reports at the event revolved around the recent developments in the East Sea, its relationship with ASEAN and major powers, international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). $0 $0 Chinese scholar Dong Manyan said he believes the territorial border row in the region will ease off in the coming time as China has exerted efforts to settle down its ties with ASEAN and neighbouring countries, including an agreement with India on border management, progress with Vietnam on maritime cooperation and a New Model of Major Country Relations with the US. $0 $0 Researcher Carl Thayer from Australia shared the view that Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand have played a key role in forging ASEAN’s unity in the East Sea issue. The region has started negotiations with China on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea, he noted. $0 $0 According to senior Thai journalist Kavi Chongkitttavorn, Thailand will actively work to urge ASEAN to seriously consider China’s proposal on signing an Amity Treaty with the bloc. Meanwhile, the country - as one of the ASEAN founders - will help maintain the region’s common voice, bridging the grouping with China in the issue. $0 $0 A majority of opinions stressed the importance of adherence to international law in general and the UNCLOS in particular in the settlement of the dispute. $0 $0 Concurring with them, Nguyen Dang Thang from Vietnam said international law is crucial to an upcoming model of jointly tapping mineral sources in the East Sea. China also needs to make clear its point about this and its claim about a nine-dot line. $0 $0 East Sea claimants should seek explanations about legal regulations set under the UNCLOS from a third independent agency, he said. $0 $0 Others argued that as international regulations on the behaviour of all stakeholders are insufficient, the formulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea is a pressing issue to keep disputes under control and prevent conflicts. $0 $0 On November 12, delegates will continue their discussions on the recent legal developments in the East Sea, and regional and international experience in the settlement of maritime disputes. $0 $0 They will also take stock of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and its enforcement, tension management, the future of the East Sea and recommend more sound policies.-VNA$0