The 19th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) was held in China’s Chongqing city on June 7, 

AIPA member parliaments have agreed to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and make efforts towards an effective and consistent Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has raised alarm over China's holding of military exercises in the East Sea, saying the move could create tension in the region and impact Beijing’s relationship with its neighbours.

Dr. Le Hong Hiep from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore has said China’s recent acts in the East Sea has made the regional situation more tense and uncertain, thus hindering negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on April 8 issued a statement expressing its deep concern over a China coast guard ship’s hitting and sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the East Sea.

Dr. Gerhard Will, a German expert on the East Sea, has said that China should quit its militarisation in the East Sea and show its willingness and cooperation capacity in security and economy

A meeting of ambassadors of East Asia Summit (EAS) member countries took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 13.

China’s recent activities in the East Sea are contrary to international laws, including the UNCLOS 1982, experts highlighted at a conference held at the Russian Academy of Justice (RGUP) on November 1.

Experts reiterated the significance of respecting international regulations in settling disputes in the East Sea at a recent conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This is not the first time Vietnam expressed concerns about China’s violations in the East Sea.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei all approved the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS). This Convention prohibits the use of and threat of using force in the settlement of disputes at sea.

Vietnam has long been persistent and consistent in safeguarding its national sovereignty in the East Sea through peaceful measures on the basis of international law.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh shared ASEAN member states’ stance on the significance of the ASEAN – US strategic partnership at the ASEAN – US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on August 1.

Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich attended the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, which ended with a joint declaration on security.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held talks with Chairman of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Li Zhanshu in Beijing on July 11.

Scholars, lawyers and experts from Russia, the US, the Philippines, Japan, Pakistan and Vietnam gathered at an international seminar in Moscow on June 27 to seek peaceful resolutions to the East Sea issue.

Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc had separate meetings with Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok on June 22.

 Rhetoric has come full circle in the dispute over the East Sea but can the Philippines, the current chair of Asean and a claimant state, deliver a peaceful solution for the area?

 US President Barack Obama said on November 21 that countries should stop building artificial islands and militarising their claims in the East Sea.