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At the invitation of the Indian PM, the rotating President of the UNSC, Vietnamese PM Chinh attended and delivered his speech at the virtual UNSC High-level Open Debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation”.
Chinh’s speech has been strongly welcomed by the international community, while a range of foreign scholars have also expressed their support for Vietnam's practical proposals to effectively respond to common challenges.
The Russian press and experts have positively assessed the three proposals of Vietnam. Analyst Valeria Vershinina, from the ASEAN Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, highly appreciated Vietnam's approach to solving regional security issues and the potential for Vietnam-Russia cooperation in ensuring maritime security. According to the Russian expert, Vietnam has rightly pointed out that today's challenges to maritime security require a collective and global response.
In an article titled “Three steps to peace at sea” on Russia’s leading e-newspaper Infox.ru, by Grigory Trofimchuk - Chairman of the Expert Council of the Foundation for the Support of Scientific Research “Workshop of Eurasian Ideas”, the author said that with its three proposals, Vietnam has not only reminded the world of the risks of territorial disputes and shared responsibility for possible consequences, but also introduced specific points that should be implemented with the help of international efforts. Trofimchuk expressed his belief that the proposals will become a new start for achieving lasting peace in the East Sea (South China Sea), which will become an example for replicating this approach in other parts of the world.
The newspaper “Argumenti i Fakti” (Arguments and Facts) also posted an article affirming that Vietnam’s three maritime arguments are consistent with international law. According to the article, security, stability and freedom of navigation in the East Sea has become a common issue of the region and the world. In that context, the speech by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is interesting, with three important proposals towards strengthening international cooperation and unifying actions to promptly and effectively respond to maritime security challenges.
James Rogers, co-founder and Director of Research at the UK's Council on Geostrategy, pointed to the significance of the three proposals on maritime security made by the Vietnamese PM in his speech at the debate, saying that it is very important not only in countries surrounding the East Sea but also globally. The British expert acknowledged the importance of regional coordination for maritime security in the East Sea, pointing out that this should be facilitated not only in the UN, but also in ASEAN, particularly in relation to regulations of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea. He agreed with the Vietnamese PM's point that policies or proposals in relation to the East Sea security and maritime rights must correspond to international rules. He also acknowledged the role of Vietnam and its support and leadership in dealing with security issues in the East Sea, given the country's important location off the waters.
Dr. Takashi Hosoda, an expert on Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific from the Czech Republic’s Charles University, praised the speech by PM Chinh that contributes to solving maritime security challenges, stressing the need for the international community to raise awareness on the importance of maritime security as well as threats to marine security.
Dr. Jan Hornat, an Indo-Pacific expert from Charles University, held that the Vietnamese PM’s speech highlights the country’s active and proactive engagement in ensuring maritime security. This helps to enhance Vietnam’s position in the world arena, especially in maintaining order in international waters based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Meanwhile, Alex Svamberg, a journalist specialised on Asia-Pacific security, commented that PM Chinh’s speech shows Vietnam’s policy of settling the East Sea issues through peaceful measures on the basis of international law and ensuring maritime and aviation freedom in the East Sea through multilateral solutions. This approach is receiving support from the international community, Svamberg said.
After the discussion, the Indian side said that the three proposals made by PM Chinh contributed to the great success of the event. Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, Head of the Indian Mission to the UN, said that Vietnam's proposals related to maritime security are focused on calling for further strengthening of international cooperation. That is also the ultimate goal that India wants to aim for. With the speech of PM Chinh, Vietnam made an important contribution to the UNSC’s open debate.
According to Dr. Pankaj Jha, a lecturer at Jindal University, India, during the open discussion, the Vietnamese PM helped raise awareness about the need to protect the ocean and marine resources. Regarding disputes, Vietnam offered universal solutions which uphold the role of the UN and regional organisations. These are very comprehensive working mechanisms, especially when combined with UNCLOS.
