Russian scholars have discussed territorial disputes in the world, including those in the East Sea, at a recent seminar hosted by the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow.
Fiver papers dealing with the dispute in the East Sea were presented at the event, analyzing the causes, historical factors and recent developments while suggesting possible solutions.
In his speech, Dmitry V.Mosyakov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Eastern Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN), highlighted wrongful actions and intentions of China in recent incidents.
According to Mosyakov, China should cooperate with its neighbours and consider their legitimate interests while working for an agreement on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Meanwhile, Grigori Lokshin, a leading expert at the RAN’s Institute of Far Eastern Studies, said that China’s first White Papers on Military Strategy, released in late May, reveals its intentions to turn China into a marine power dominating the East Sea. He said this basically is a direct provocation targeting regional countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei, as well as its territory Taiwan.
He pointed out that this move immediately met with strong reactionis from the international community, who is worried that China’s ambition of expanding territorial waters would lead to unexpected consequences.
All speakers affirmed that the best solution to these disputes is to sit down for negotiations and respect international law, especially the UNCLOS 1982 and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.-VNA
