The
Gabriel Péri Foundation of France held an international seminar on the East Sea
at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on November 21.
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An
overview of the seminar on East Sea - Source: VNA
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The event, the third of its
kind held by the foundation, gathered lawyers, professors and diplomats from
the UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the US, France and Switzerland who delivered
speeches on the current geo-politic situation, issues related to relevant
international laws and parties’ conduct in the East Sea and several policy
suggestions for the EU.
Many said that there are
several changes in the East Sea in recent times, including fishing-related
policies, environmental protection, and construction which alters the status
quo at the sea. They all agreed that international law must be a foundation for
all solutions.
Prof. Erik Franckx from the
Free University of Brussels mentioned China’s rejection of the Permanent Court
of Arbitration (PCA)’s ruling on the East Sea while many others welcomed the
decision. He said he hopes that parties involved will hold bilateral dialogues
to seek a solution accepted by all, regardless of big or small countries.
To restore order in the East
Sea, the parties should abide by international law, particularly Article 121 in
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, he suggested, adding
that the PCA ruling is useful to all parties and holds an important role.
Prof. James Borton from the
Center for Asian Studies under the US’s University of South Carolina affirmed
that the construction of artificial islands has caused a serious impact on the
reproduction of fish sources.
His research showed that the
number of fish species reduced by half, while reserves fell by 70-95 percent
compared with those in the early 1960s. He proposed combining policy and
science to solve existing issues in the East Sea such as the establishment of a
“committee” gathering maritime scientists in the region. He also suggested
mapping out and defining sea areas in order to protect the eco-system.
Meanwhile, Ambassador
Christian Lechervy, Permanent Secretary for the Pacific at the French Foreign
Ministry, stressed the need to maintain regular dialogues between the EU and
Asia, between the EU and ASEAN, and ASEAN member states, and between the European
Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.
The stability and economic
growth in the East Sea region will contribute to the world’s economic
development, which is the reason pushing the EU to help maintain stability at
the strategic sea.
The tribunal declared on
July 12, 2016, that China’s claim to “historic rights” over waters within its
“nine-dash line” is contrary to the UNCLOS. It said China has caused
permanent and irreparable harm to the coral reef ecosystem at the Spratly
(Truong Sa) archipelago, and that it also has no historic title over waters of
the South China Sea.
The Hague Tribunal also
finds no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the
nine-dash line, and that China has interfered with traditional Philippine
fishing rights at Scarborough Shoal.
However, China completely
rejected the PCA’s ruling, and maintained its stance that disputes between
countries with overlapped sovereign claims in the East Sea need to be solved
bilaterally.
The East Sea provides one of
the most important maritime lanes in the globe and benefits many countries.
Therefore, maintaining peace, stability, navigation and over flight security,
safety, and freedom in the sea area is the top priority. The parties concerned should
display their responsibility in abiding by international law, specifically
upholding the supremacy of the rule of law in the East Sea. Every extreme
reaction or activities defying international law will fuel tensions and
complicate the situation.
In recent years, the East
Sea issue has attracted much attention from the international community.
Although Europe and the East Sea are located over 9,000km apart, the two
regions have mutual dependence in terms of economy, politics, and security.
Therefore, escalated
tensions in the East Sea may hurt Europe’s interests and threaten stability and
prosperity in the world.
Source:
VNA