The South China Sea is one of the most pressing issues in Asia. Read more in the exclusive blog for the Channel 24 website.
Asian division
Developing territorial conflicts in this region are fought over small islands, rocks and even coral reefs.
Brunei claims its rights to the southern part of the Spratly Islands, Malaysia is also trying to take three islands from this archipelago. The Philippines claims 8 islands in the Spratly archipelago. Vietnam, China and Taiwan simultaneously claim most of the islands of the South China Sea, as well as all the Spratly and Paracel Islands.China claims 80% of the water area of the PKM – the so-called “9 lines”, which Vietnam calls the “bull tongue”, since the contours resemble this particular shape. Within this territory are 4 groups of islands: Pratas, Paracel Islands, Spratly and Zhongsha (also known as Macclesfield Bank). On the Chinese name they sound respectively as Dongsha, Xisha, Nansha and Zhongsha – together these islands are called “4 Sha”.
For Vietnam, the PKM or the East Sea is the only sea that washes Vietnam and provides its connection with the oceans. The entire southern and eastern border of the country goes to the PKM, which determines the special importance of the sea for all spheres of life and the economy of the state.
The eastern part of the Paracel Islands was captured by Chinese forces in 1956, shortly after the historic Battle of Dien Bien Phu that ended the French colonial regime in Vietnam and ended the First Indochina War.
The second stage of establishing control over the Paracel Islands was carried out in 1974, when the Chinese armed forces drove the South Vietnamese troops out of their positions in the western part of the archipelago, while the troops of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) were preparing for reshut. whose release led to the defeat of the United States in the Vietnam War and the further unification of Vietnam.
The third stage of the expansion of the PRC control zone in the PKM began in 1988, when control over the Spratly Islands was established with the help of a landing party. The conflict experienced several flare-ups from mid-2007 until the clash in May 2014. While the world's attention was focused on Ukraine, the China State Oil Corporation has located offshore drilling platform Haiyang Shiyou 981, about 30 kilometers south of Triton Island in the Paracel Archipelago, which is claimed by Vietnam. A wave of protests swept through Vietnam, rallies were held in a number of provinces, which turned into riots and pogroms at Chinese enterprises.
Peaceful struggle
Vietnam has repeatedly stated its desire and readiness to resolve the conflict peacefully, based on current international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2002 ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. The visit of Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to China in 2011 turned out to be extremely important for Vietnamese-Chinese relations.
The parties signed a joint statement, which indicated their intention to continue close cooperation between the ruling parties. During this visit, we also signed a 6-point Statement on the procedure for resolving problems at sea, in which we determined the format for discussing territorial requirements for the PKM: some of the problems will be considered in the PRC-ASEAN format, and such issues as sovereignty and maritime borders – in the PRC bilateral format – SRV.
Despite the understanding reached between the PRC and the SRO that territorial disputes in the PCM should not undermine bilateral ties, Vietnamese-Chinese relations are regularly aggravated due to uncoordinated actions in the disputed waters. It is much more important for Vietnam's national interests to strengthen all-round cooperation with powerful China, but the very legitimacy of the political and leadership role of the CPV stems from the history of the people's national liberation struggle for freedom and independence. Vietnam cannot agree to conditions that impinge on sovereignty, inequality or loss of independence.
Hanoi has chosen a more pragmatic way of fighting for rights in the PCM, namely, seeking support for its positions from the world community as a whole and specifically from its strategic partners from among world states. The leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam is striving to internationalize the problem and attract the attention of the world community, causing a negative reaction from China.
In 2013, Vietnam enlisted the support of the United States, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Brunei, Indonesia, Great Britain to maintain stability and peace and ensuring maritime security in the region. Having become a member of the UN Security Council in 2020-2021, he advocated strengthening the global dialogue in resolving international conflicts.
Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong called on “all parties concerned to exercise restraint, avoid unilateral actions that could complicate the situation, and resolve disputes and differences by peaceful means, with due respect for diplomatic and legal procedures.”
The position of the Vietnamese side shows that Hanoi does not seek to escalate the conflict, but is quite ready to make concessions, counting on reciprocal steps from the Chinese side. That is why Vietnam faces a very difficult task: to defend its sovereignty, but at the same time not to involve the country in a war that may well break out.
Vietnam has shown itself to be a consistent, active participant in an international society. The country's strategy is the creation of a peaceful environment, the stability of the socio-economic development of states, including the maritime economy, especially in the South China Sea. The name of the strategy is defined as “Peace – Friendship, Cooperation – Development”.
Legal “shield”
Hanoi emphasizes the right to sovereignty and inviolability of the borders of the countries of the region. “The competent authorities of Vietnam are closely monitoring the situation in the East Sea Area (ESR) to ensure national sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over maritime space in accordance with international law, in particular, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said the director of the department information and press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Le Thi Thu Hang.
Any actions of states in the South China Sea must comply with international law, respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of coastal states.
In 2012, Vietnam passed the Law of the Sea Law. This first Vietnamese maritime law came into force on January 1, 2013. The Viet Nam Maritime Law is an important legislative document aimed at improving the legal framework for the maritime and insular territories of Viet Nam. For the first time in Vietnam, a legal document has appeared that most fully covers the legal status of maritime and island territories belonging to Vietnamese sovereignty and Vietnamese sovereign law in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is an important legal basis for the management, protection and development of the economy of the sea and the islands of Vietnam.
Along with the intention to settle disputes over maritime and island territories by peaceful means, Vietnam sent an important message to the entire world community: Vietnam is a responsible member of the international community that respects and abides by international law, especially international treaties to which Vietnam is a party, including the Convention United Nations Law of the Sea 1982, and is interested in the struggle for peace, stability and development of the region and the world. However, along with the search for legal mechanisms to resolve the issue, Vietnam continues to modernize the armed forces and build up its defense potential.
A strong army will not hurt
In 2013 and early 2014, the strength of the People's Navy of Vietnam increased significantly, in particular, in 2013, the Vietnamese Navy organized the ceremony of promulgating the decree on the establishment of the Submarine Forces Directorate at the headquarters of the Vietnam Navy, aimed at assisting the headquarters in the leadership, management, organization training, maintaining the combat capability of the submarine forces of the Navy.
For the first time, the People's Navy of Vietnam has modern submarines, including 6 Project 636 Kilo-class submarines – the most modern submarines in the world today, produced in Russia.
The Vietnamese Navy is also strengthening its capacity due to the increase in naval aviation forces. The 954th Naval Aviation Regiment of the Air Defense Forces (PVO) was transferred to the Navy. In Vietnam, the 930th helicopter regiment was created with 372 divisions (air defense).
The Vietnamese Air Force also received CASA-212-400 military transport aircraft under the numbers 8981, 8982 and 8983. CASA-212 aircraft – these are modern fourth-generation aircraft manufactured by Airbus and capable of conducting military operations in Vietnamese conditions.
Vietnam has also purchased 20 Vostok-E VHF radar stations from Belarus to enhance the effectiveness of air and sea border protection. In addition to PJ1C Vostok-E, Vietnam also owns several Ukrainian-made systems for intercepting stealth aircraft and Kolchuga electronic intelligence stations.
Three Peaceful Principles
Thus, the Vietnamese position on the issue of the PCM comes down to a commitment to maintaining peace and stability, strict adherence to the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties to the PCM of 2002, and resolving differences and problems peacefully on the basis of international law, primarily the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.
Chinese territorial claims for 80% of the water area of the PKM cause strong rejection in the SRV. At the same time, Vietnam is ready to negotiate to smooth out territorial contradictions within the framework of the Agreement on Basic Principles for the Settlement of Problems at Sea between Vietnam and China, signed in 2011. These principles include:
- joint search for ways to resolve disputes on the basis of existing norms of international law;
- observance of previous bilateral agreements at the highest level and the Declaration and Conduct of the Parties in the PCM;
- dispute settlement negotiation format: bilateral for the Paracel Islands (Vietnam + China), “5+1+1” (five ASEAN countries + China + Taiwan) for the Spratly archipelago, multilateral for discussing issues of peace and stability.
