Proceedings of the International Workshop, co-organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Lawyers’ Association, 26-27 November 2009, Hanoi, Vietnam
Editor: Tran Truong Thuy
Editorial Assistants: Nguyen Thuy Minh and Le Thuy Trang
Copyright © /2010 Selection and editorial matters, Tran Truong Thuy;
individual chapters, contributors.
Prof. Stein Tønnesson, CAN THE DISPUTES OVER MARITIME DELIMINATION AND SOVEREIGNTY TO ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA BE RESOLVED?
"...It does not seem realistic to see any major progress soon towards a resolution of the South China Sea dispute. The most realistic positive development would be a legally binding agreement between China and ASEAN on a code-of-conduct. But the role of researchers should not just be to analyze what has already happened, or point out the most likely scenarios for the future. Our role is also to point out opportunities. Therefore the main message in this paper is that is fully possible to arrive at a comprehensive solution to the disputes in the South China Sea on the basis of international law, and that this would not just be in the interest of Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines, but in the best interest of Taiwan and mainland China as well."
Prof. Rommel C. Banlaoi, RENEWED TENSIONS AND CONTINUING MARITIME SECURITY DILEMMA IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: A PHILIPPINE PERSPECTIVE
"...Based on photographic evidences gathered by the author from various official and non-official open sources, all claimants, with the exemption of Brunei, have been consolidating their civilian and military presence in the Spratlys to assert their territorial claims. Though there seems to be a de -escalation of conflict in the South China Sea with the adoption of DOC in 2002, renewed security tensions have occurred in the late 2007 indicating the limitations of DOC in managing territorial disputes and perpetuati ng the maritime security dilemma in one of the contested waters in the Asia Pacific. Beyond doubt, the territorial disputes in the South China continue to play a destabilizing role in the security of the Asia Pacific region. There is therefore a great need to increase transparency and to enhance confidence-building among claimants and other stakeholders in the disputes to effectively overcome the security dilemma in the South China Sea and decisively create a cooperative management regime necessary for regional peace and stability"
Prof. Ramses Amer, THE SINO-VIETNAMESE APPROACH TO MANAGING BORDER DISPUTES – LESSONS, RELEVANCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SOUTH CHINA SEA SITUATION
"The paper has two main aims. First, to outline and examine the Sino-Vietnamese approach to managing border disputes. Second, to assess the lessons, relevance and implications of the Sino-Vietnamese approach on the South China Sea situation. The paper provides an overview of the Sino-Vietnam approach to managing border disputes in the period since full normalization between China and Vietnam in late 1991. This overview includes both progress made in terms of conflict management and challenges faced in terms of tension. The lessons drawn from the Sino-Vietnamese approach and experience are derived from the overview. This is followed by a discussion relating to both the relevance and the possible implications of the Sino-Vietnamese experience and the lessons drawn from it on the situation in the South China Sea. The paper is concluded by a summary of the main findings and some concluding remarks..."