VietNamNet Bridge – Printing the U-shaped line on the passport is a provocation; the Chinese will be isolated. The Chinese Government should withdraw the new passport," said Professor Carl Thayer.

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Talking on the sidelines of the international conference on Vietnamese studies in Hanoi, Professor Carl Thayer, and expert on South East Asia, from the University of New South Wales - Australia said that China’s issuance of the passport with the U-shaped line has created a rift in a long-standing problem with many Asian countries. This is a provocation.

He said that Vietnam had adequate response of not accepting the new passport. Many relevant countries such as India and the Philippines also had action in response to China’s move. In particular, the U.S. government has also condemned this "abnormal" act.

The renowned expert on Southeast Asia said, China has moved step by step in the realization of its ambition for the "U-shaped line" but, with this step, the Chinese will have to bear the consequences. Chinese citizens will certainly have trouble when they go to the countries with the territorial claims that conflict with the map in the new passport. Thus, the Chinese will be isolated.

"The Chinese government should withdraw the new passport, because the passport is a neutral item, used to encourage economic and human relationships, but they (China) use it to make a politic statement," Professor Carl Thayer said.

Despite knowing about the new passport as well as its impact on the relationship with India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the former director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of World Economics and Politics, said he was surprised to learn that up to 6 million new passports were released. According to him, this is the matter of foreign affairs and “some supported and some did not support it."

As a Chinese scholar attending the conference on Vietnamese studies, this Chinese expert could not say whether this passport should be changed or not, but he admitted that this affects the movement of Chinese people and "perhaps our government (China) has already known about it."

"The two sides should frankly exchange and discuss in more detail about this issue. China and Vietnam are neighbors and there exist a number of sensitive issues between them. We should give constructive recommendations to resolve the sensitive issues," the Chinese scholar said.

Dr Vu Cao Phan, vice chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, said that to address concerns related to territorial claims, first of all, Vietnamese and Chinese scholars need to sit together. "Even people who have different opinions in the same country also need to sit down to talk, to break the deadlock," Phan said.

According to Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung from the George Mason University, USA, printing the disputed territory on the passport is a symbolic act, but since that it would set rules. If Vietnam or other countries do not raise objection, China can totally say this map has been accepted. Although the passport with the "U-shaped line" is worthless, China wants to put principles first, solving conflict later.

After the discussion at subcommittees of the Vietnam studies seminar, scholars asserted that the U-shaped line drawn by China has no legal basis. China's southernmost in history books and maps is Hainan Island. They also said that printing the "U-shaped line" on the passport is the act of "mistakes and misunderstandings."

Compiled by Tran Cham
From VNE