200 Vietnamese and foreign delegates attend the 9th International East Sea Conference in HCM city, November 27-28, 2017.

Nguyen Vu Tung, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said that positive developments had been seen in the East Sea following the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling last year but uncertainty and possible confrontations remain in the long run.

“Legal and geopolitical issues discussed by the participants will help improve the East Sea situation. Information sharing at the conference will help fine-tune the policy making process by interested parties,” Tung said.    

During the two-day conference, officials, experts and scholars from the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, and ASEAN, and diplomatic representatives in Vietnam will try to deepen the recognition of their common interest in maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea and propose solutions to disputes over the territorial waters.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, the Foundation for East Sea Studies, and the Vietnam Lawyers’ Association.