Rule of law needs to be respected in the East Sea: expertsVietNamNet Bridge – Despite the shortcomings of the international legal framework regarding territorial disputes at sea, experts concur that international law plays a critical role in securing peace and stability at sea. The most important piece of international law in this area is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is hampered by generally inadequate language and a lack of enforcement mechanisms. Singh asserted that whether such ‘good order’ can exist in the South China Sea is entirely up to the degree of political trust between ASEAN and China. At the workshop, Giles Lever, the British Ambassador in Ha Noi, lauded the efforts of concerned parties in developing Code of Conduct on the South China Sea. Tuan’s report painted a dire prospect for the South China Sea environment that provides livelihoods for 500 million people in China, Viet Nam, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Source: VietNamNet News September 13, 2017 07:07 UTC