Talking to the press, the official said the sector has always upheld its role as one of the three key pillars in the cause of national construction and defense, taking the lead in implementing the motto of “using the invariables to cope with the variables” in asserting and safeguarding the sacred sovereignty of the nation. This means flexibly and skillfully employing peaceful measures such as dialogue, negotiation, international legal instruments, and external communications to affirm the nation’s just cause, promote friendly relations, seize opportunities, and overcome challenges in each historical period, thereby firmly protecting “the invariable” – national interests.
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Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu |
From the struggle for independence in history to today’s national construction and defense, there have been the tireless, quiet, but highly proud contributions by generations of Vietnamese diplomats, Vu said. Notably, this has never been about protecting sovereignty in a purely defensive sense, but about linking the mission with maintaining a peaceful and stable environment to foster cooperation and national development.
He noted that on land, Vietnam has completed the delimitation of its entire land borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia; finished the planting of all markers along the borders with China and Laos; completed 84% of the marker planting with Cambodia; and signed legal documents on establishing the border lines and border management regulations with the neighboring countries, thereby building and reinforcing a joint borderline of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation, and development and contributing to the image of a peace-loving Vietnam with deep integration into and prestige in the world.
At sea, the diplomatic sector has led and coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies to establish and protect Vietnam’s lawful and legitimate rights and interests in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
Landmark agreements include the 1982 agreement on the historical waters of Vietnam and Cambodia, the 1997 agreement on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones and continental shelves between Vietnam and Thailand, the 2000 agreement on the delimitation of the territorial seas, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in the Gulf of Tonkin between Vietnam and China, and the 2003 agreement on the delimitation of the continental shelves between Vietnam and Indonesia. More recently, Vietnam completed negotiations on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zones with Indonesia in 2022, officially presented the submission on the limits of the extended continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the central part of the East Sea (South China Sea internationally) in 2024, and announced its baseline for measuring the breadth of its territorial sea in the Gulf of Tonkin in 2025. They are all milestones of “historic” significance in defining the country’s lawful maritime zones and resolving overlapping areas in accordance with international law, Vu stressed.
The official went on sharing that Vietnam has also promoted bilateral maritime cooperation mechanisms with neighboring countries, such as the 1993 agreement with Malaysia on determining a joint petroleum exploration and exploitation area, and the 2000 agreement with China on fisheries cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin. Alongside these are various international dialogue and cooperation programs on maritime issues. Such mechanisms have economic value and contribute to building strategic trust, maintaining regional peace and stability, and creating favorable conditions for the peaceful settlement of disputes and differences in the East Sea (aka South China Sea).
In the time to come, Vu unveiled, in addition to pressing on with negotiations to resolve outstanding border issues, the sector has set two strategic priorities for the land border work. They are maintaining a peaceful and stable environment in border areas, and promoting “cooperation for development.”
Holding strategic importance to Vietnam's security and development and having great impact on regional peace and stability, the East Sea is a common concern of the international community. To address East Sea-related matters and promote cooperation for peace and development in the region, he stated, Vietnam continues efforts on political-diplomatic, legal, and information-public opinion fronts.
On the political and diplomatic front, the consistent policy is to “resolutely and persistently safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction at sea” while “maintaining a peaceful and stable environment to facilitate national development and integration into the world.”
In particular, the country has persistently pursued the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law, especially the UNCLOS 1982. It has played an active role at multilateral mechanisms like the U.N. and clearly shown its consistent stance at regional forums and mechanisms like the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the East Asia Summit (EAS). Besides, it has promoted negotiations and discussions on outstanding issues, and boosted dialogue and cooperation on maritime affairs with countries in and outside the region to prevent conflicts, foster trust, and seek durable solutions to the East Sea issue, he elaborated.
On the legal front, the Deputy FM said, Vietnam remains committed to settling sea-related differences by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982, and in fact, it has applied this convention to the handling of maritime demarcation issues with neighboring countries.
In the time ahead, Vietnam will continue to seriously implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and actively participate in formulating an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China, consistent with international law and the UNCLOS 1982 as agreed by the parties. It will also enhance cooperation with international legal organizations and leading legal experts to refine legal dossiers, consolidate the legal basis for its maritime claims, and prepare legal options when necessary.
On the information and public opinion front, the stance is clear: safeguarding the sovereignty over seas and islands is the responsibility of the entire military, people, and political system. The diplomatic sector has been providing information about the Vietnamese Party and State's policies and viewpoints on sea-related issues, asserting the country's lawful and legitimate sea-related rights and interests, and combating the arguments and acts violating Vietnam's maritime sovereignty. By doing so, the country wishes to spread the message about a peace-loving Vietnam that resolutely and persistently its rights and legitimate interests while actively cooperating with partners to promote regional peace, stability, and development.
The diplomat concluded that in today’s volatile international context, the country’s lessons on respecting international law, steadfastly adhering to the principles of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, taking peace, stability, and development as objectives, and using cooperation as a means, remain fully relevant.
Vietnam stands ready to share these experiences with international friends for a more stable, just, and peaceful world, he affirmed.
Source: VNA