East Sea security under discussion in Russia

Experts and academics from Europe, Asia, Australia and the host country Russia, met in St Petersburg to attend an international seminar on security issues in East Asia and the East Sea.

Experts and academics from Europe, Asia, Australia and the host country Russia, met in St Petersburg to attend an international seminar on security issues in East Asia and the East Sea.

At the event (Source: historian Kolotov)

The delegates focused their discussions on factors that affect security in East Asia and security in the East Sea . Also on the table was the competition amongst certain countries in the region, the East Sea disputes, the arms race and nuclear proliferation in East Asia .

Speakers at the seminar opposed the concept of the “U-Shaped” or “nine-dotted” line, and called on the East Sea dispute to be solved by peaceful means. They were referring to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. They also discussed future risks to security in the East Sea and called on all ASEAN countries to work closer together and reach a consensus on the East Sea issue.

The participants welcomed the Vietnam-China six-point agreement, considering it one of the factors for solving the East Sea issue, and called for more research on historical documents, posted on Vietnam’s websites, concerning the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

The seminar also heard a number of speeches that gave evidence confirming that the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes are sovereign to Vietnam .

Professor Vladimir Kolotov from the Saint Petersburg State University , who was also head of the seminar’s organising board, gave a speech on the arc of instability in East Asia . He said this is the main issue for regional security.

He said the more China asks for control of the East Sea , the more it will face increasing opposition from the international community.