Vietnam should prepare to take its case against China to theinternational court of justice, even though it has moved its HaiyangShiyou 981 oil rig out of the country's exclusive economic zone andcontinental shelf, the two-day conference held in Ho Chi Minh City heardon July 26.
Pierre Schifferli, deputy judge of the Court ofAppeals in Geneva, said: "China has already moved its oil rig out ofVietnam. But it's not the end of the story."
"All the documentsof the past presented in front of the Reunification Palace today show itis clear that the right of Vietnam on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa(Spratly) archipelagos are recognised around the world. It is obviousfrom the history and legal viewpoints," he said.
"Vietnam shouldbring the case to the international court of justice even though Chinacould refuse the jurisdiction in the case," he added.
He said Vietnam should also try to create a strong group within ASEAN to settle the dispute by peaceful measures.
MaiHong Quy, rector of the HCM City University of Law, said although theoil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 was moved out of Vietnam’s waters on July 15,this action caused bad precedence in international legal relations.
Theconference, with the participation of some 50 legal scholars, was achance for Vietnam to hear from experts in international law about thepossible legal solutions to settle disputes in the East Sea peacefully.
JeanneMirer, president of the International Association of DemocraticLawyers, said the conference was unprecedented as it was the first timesuch a large number of legal experts were assembled to speak about theEast Sea issue.
She said it was important to ensure that the dispute did not escalate into a much broader military confrontation.
Shesaid that international law provides that every country "shall have a200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone from its coastal line".
"Theoil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 was placed within the Exclusive EconomicZone and Continental Shelf of Vietnam and that is the major reason whyit was a violation of the international law."
"China has many excuses for what it did, but those excuses really do not support international law," she added.
ChitoSta. Romana, president of the Philippines Association for ChineseStudies, told Vietnam News on the sidelines of the conference thatVietnam should learn from the experience of the Philippines in filing alawsuit to China over the dispute on East Sea.
The event, whichwas organised by HCM City Law University and Vietnam Bar Association,included three sessions on major topics, including international law andChina's oil rig placement in the East Sea, settlement of disputes bypolitical and diplomatic measures under international law, andsettlement of disputes by legal measures in accordance withinternational law.
It was attended by international law expertsfrom research centres, institutes and universities from the US, Russia,Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Thailand, the Republic ofKorea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and Singapore.
TheEast Sea is the world's second busiest sea lane through which more thanhalf of the world's supertankers and 5.3 trillion USD worth of annualtrade passes.
There are ongoing sovereignty disputes in the seabetween China and several of its neighbouring nations, including Vietnamand the Philippines.-VNA
Pierre Schifferli, deputy judge of the Court ofAppeals in Geneva, said: "China has already moved its oil rig out ofVietnam. But it's not the end of the story."
"All the documentsof the past presented in front of the Reunification Palace today show itis clear that the right of Vietnam on Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa(Spratly) archipelagos are recognised around the world. It is obviousfrom the history and legal viewpoints," he said.
"Vietnam shouldbring the case to the international court of justice even though Chinacould refuse the jurisdiction in the case," he added.
He said Vietnam should also try to create a strong group within ASEAN to settle the dispute by peaceful measures.
MaiHong Quy, rector of the HCM City University of Law, said although theoil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 was moved out of Vietnam’s waters on July 15,this action caused bad precedence in international legal relations.
Theconference, with the participation of some 50 legal scholars, was achance for Vietnam to hear from experts in international law about thepossible legal solutions to settle disputes in the East Sea peacefully.
JeanneMirer, president of the International Association of DemocraticLawyers, said the conference was unprecedented as it was the first timesuch a large number of legal experts were assembled to speak about theEast Sea issue.
She said it was important to ensure that the dispute did not escalate into a much broader military confrontation.
Shesaid that international law provides that every country "shall have a200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone from its coastal line".
"Theoil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 was placed within the Exclusive EconomicZone and Continental Shelf of Vietnam and that is the major reason whyit was a violation of the international law."
"China has many excuses for what it did, but those excuses really do not support international law," she added.
ChitoSta. Romana, president of the Philippines Association for ChineseStudies, told Vietnam News on the sidelines of the conference thatVietnam should learn from the experience of the Philippines in filing alawsuit to China over the dispute on East Sea.
The event, whichwas organised by HCM City Law University and Vietnam Bar Association,included three sessions on major topics, including international law andChina's oil rig placement in the East Sea, settlement of disputes bypolitical and diplomatic measures under international law, andsettlement of disputes by legal measures in accordance withinternational law.
It was attended by international law expertsfrom research centres, institutes and universities from the US, Russia,Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Thailand, the Republic ofKorea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and Singapore.
TheEast Sea is the world's second busiest sea lane through which more thanhalf of the world's supertankers and 5.3 trillion USD worth of annualtrade passes.
There are ongoing sovereignty disputes in the seabetween China and several of its neighbouring nations, including Vietnamand the Philippines.-VNA
