Emerging security order in Indo-Pacific highlighted at workshop

At the event (Source: VNA) 

New Delhi (VNA) – An international workshop onemerging security order in the Indo – Pacific: issues and challenges took placein New Delhi, India from July 14-15.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to India TonSinh Thanh said the Indo-Pacific region is attracting attention in the contextof rapid changes in regional and world situation and in power balance alongwith increasing grave challenges to peace, stability and development.

He noted that the current situation in the East Sea is oneof the threats to peace, stability and freedom of navigation, aviation andtrade in this region.

The world is witnessing activities to reclaim and construct artificialislands in the East Sea and militarisation via the installment of equipment andweapons, which the Ambassador said is threatening not only the sovereignty of SoutheastAsian nations but also the freedom of maritime, aviation and trade of countriesoutside the region.  

The diplomat emphasised the importance of the Indo-Pacificand the East Sea in particular to Vietnam, noting that the country holdssovereignty of not only the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagosbut also 3,000 other islands and islets. With a coastline of 3,260km stretchingfrom the north to the south, Vietnam has more than 1 million sq.km of exclusiveeconomic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

He said the East Sea is vital to the Vietnamese economy asit is the country’s main gateway to the world, adding that if the East Sea is occupied,not only Vietnam’s security will be threatened but its economy will also beseriously hurt.

In addition, the Indo – Pacific is also of vital importanceto Vietnam as most of its biggest strategic and economic partners are located inthe region.

The ambassador recalled President Tran Dai Quang’s speech toIndian statesmen, professors, researchers, scholars and students at Nehru MemorialMuseum in India in March this year, in which the President called on countries toshare a common vision about an open region based on international law and sharingcommon interest in maintaining peace, stability and inclusive prosperity, inwhich no country, no ethnic group and no population are left behind.

All countries should strive to defend freedom and unobstructedtraffic of maritime, aviation and trade routes so that the Indian Ocean –Pacific will not be divided into sub-regions that are manipulated by powerfulcountries, impeded by protectionism and divided by insular nationalism, he said.

Ambassador Thanh also urged countries to establish effectivemechanisms to maintain peace, stability and the rule of law, ensure commonsecurity, prevent conflicts and war, and effectively cope with traditional andnon-traditional security challenges.

He stressed that Vietnam’s viewpoint on theIndo-Asia-Pacific region has many similarities with Indian PM Narendra Modi’svision about the Indo – Pacific as outlined in his keynote speech at the ShangriLa Dialogue held in Singapore in June 1, stressing that both Vietnam and Indiawant to engage in instead of confronting in the settlement of regional issues.

Participants at the event shared the view that the IndianOcean – Pacific is emerging as the most important region with its status as ageopolitical and geo-economical hub, a busy trade corridor of the most importanceglobally with nearly two-thirds of petrol and one third of global cargo goingthrough it.

However, the lack of cooperation rules and trust buildingmeasures, along with unsettled disputes and competition for scarce naturalresources are seriously threatening regional peace and stability.

The event at the IndianCouncil of Social Science Research was co-hosted by the Centre forCanadian, US & Latin American Studies under JawaharlalNehru University, and the Kalinga Research Institute for Indo-PacificStudies.-VNA

VNA