Speakers at the 3rd event in the Ocean Dialogue series on international law and the South China Sea held in Hanoi on June 11
The event, which was jointly held by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Embassy of Australia in Hanoi saw the attendance of experts from Vietnamese government ministries, academia, the Diplomatic community in Hanoi and Australian Alumni attended the Dialogue.
According to the Australian Embassy, the Dialogue focused on recent developments in the South China Sea from a legal perspective and how stakeholders could cooperate to manage disputes in the region.
China and ASEAN countries are currently negotiating the Code of Conduct of parties in the South China Sea (COC), attracting significant attention of legal experts and scholars. However, two years after the release of the Arbitral Tribunal Award in the case between the Philippines and China regarding the South China Sea, no significant improvement has been achieved to reduce disputes in the region.
In his opening speech, Dr. Le Hai Binh, Vice President of the DAV, highlighted the role of international law in maintaining rule-based international order.
"International law is the backbone for international and regional security and stability," Binh stressed. "With regard to the South China Sea, all main stakeholders explicitly announced that they abide by international law. However, their different interpretations of the international law have been a major challenge for regional cooperation."
Dr. Binh, therefore, contended that such dialogue would help promote shared understanding among experts, policy makers, and the wider audience, thus contribute to narrow perception gaps and facilitate cooperation in the South China Sea.
Resident Representative of KAS, Peter Girke, underlined that rule of law and peace are core values of KAS and that “the South China Sea is in dire need to find joint and peaceful solutions respecting international law to settle the conflicts about territorial claims. We hope that the 3rd Ocean Dialogue discussion stimulated legal experts and policy makers to further think and work on international principles of law to address these disputes”.
Speaking at the dialogue, Ms Stacey Nation, Counsellor (Political) shared that “The Australian Embassy is pleased to sponsor this Third Ocean Dialogue in support of a commitment made in Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper to support a secure, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in which the rights of all states are respected and in which disputes are resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law”.
