Vietnamese soldiers at DK1/12 Platform (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – Chinese surveyvessel group Haiyang Dizhi 8’s activities in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are clearly a breach of international law and they must be condemned, an Indonesian expert has said.
Any country which has ratified the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) must complywith it, said Beni Sukadis, Programme Coordinator of the Indonesian Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (LESPERSSI).
The Association of theSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should bring the East Sea issue to forums for discussion, he said, adding that ASEANhas its own principles, called “ASEAN Way,” which upholds respect forsovereignty and territorial integrity of nations
These principles need to be heightened not only among ASEAN member states but also in theentire Southeast Asian region, the expert noted.
He further said that if anation outside ASEAN violates territory of an ASEAN member state, thenASEAN is obliged to gather to seriously discuss this matter.
Sukadis also expected that negotiations on a Code of Conduct inthe East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China will be fruitful.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof., Dr. Dinna Wisnu at the Department of InternationalRelations, the Jakarta-based Bina Nusantara University said what China is doingin the East Sea is “unacceptable” and makes regional countries very concerned.
She urged regional countries to take stronger actionsagainst China and that it is crucial to further strengthen bilateral agreementsamong ASEAN member states, particularly in economy, to create greater power andposition for the grouping at international forums.–VNA
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