Delegates heard reports by such prestigious Polish politiciansand researchers as Chairman of the Poland – Vietnam Friendship AssociationProf. Dr. Tadeusz Iwinski, expert of international politics at Warmia MazuryUniversity; Director of the Centre for International Studies at the Universityof Lodz Malgorzata Pietrasiak, military expert Pawel Behrendt, and expert onVietnamese studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan Jakub Krolczykn.
They discussed disputes in the East Sea, especially recent developmentsin Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, sayingthat China has conducted massive militarisation activities and changed thestatus quo in the East Sea over the past five years.
Such moves indicate that China could continue strengtheningits influence in the East Sea – one of the most important navigation routes inthe world, they said.
On the European Union and Poland’s stance on the East Seaissue, experts said the EU always calls for minimising disputes in respect for internationallaw and objecting to the construction of artificial islands in the East Sea.
Prof. Pietrasiak said countries involved in the East Seadisputes need to respect international law, including the ruling of thePermanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that refuted historic evidence ofChina.
According to him, the Polish President and government alsodeclared that every dispute should be settled in line with international lawand powerful countries’ use of or threat to use of forces against smaller onesis unaccepted.
The event, the second of its kind, was co-hosted by theCentre for Poland – Asia Studies and the Colegium Civitas University.-VNA