An international conference on European and Asian maritime security and development kicked off on Thursday in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh, focusing on disputes and China’s actions in the East Vietnam Sea.
The two-day high-level workshop is organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the European Union Delegation to Vietnam in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh, and sees the attendance of over 180 experts, nearly 50 of whom are international academics from ASEAN, the EU, China, Japan, and other countries.
ASEAN is short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is a political and economic organization whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Escalating situation

The opening discussion of the conference focused on current challenges to maritime security and saw a consensus from all delegates on the importance of preservation and improvement of international peace, security, safety, and respect for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The participants also hoped that all relevant nations will show a high level of responsibility and provide practical contributions to the maintenance of regional peace and stability.
Tetsuo Kotani, senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, assessed that the situation in the East Vietnam Sea has been escalating.

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