On July 1, the DTU Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities held a seminar entitled “Vietnam’s South China Sea Policy”, aimed at providing accurate and current information about the South China Sea issue and Vietnam’s policies. The main speaker was Dr. Ha Anh Tuan, Director of the South China Sea Research Fund, with many DTU staff, lecturers and students in attendance.
Dr. Ha Anh Tuan
The South China Sea is an important strategic location and the conflict there is having a profound impact on Vietnam’s development. Vietnam has always had in place policies to protect its territorial sovereignty on land and sea and has always complied with international law. The ongoing South China Sea dispute has become a major controversial issue that our citizens, especially the younger generation, care massively about.
Dr. Ha Anh Tuan gave an overview on the current situation, including maritime security, environmental pollution, depletion of fish resources and disputes over management and exploitation of natural resources, to provide attendees with a clearer understanding. He explained the role of the South China Sea in Vietnam’s overall security and development, some basic issues of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the dispute from an international legal and political viewpoint and the Vietnamese policies.
Questions were asked about Vietnam’s role in internal and external affairs in the South China Sea, if Vietnam still recognizes Sixteen Word Guideline with China, how Vietnam’s youth can protect national sovereignty, and so on.
“I was very happy to be here,” said Phuong Anh, a Law student. “The talk gave me a general overview of the sovereignty dispute, the importance of formulating a South China Sea Code of Conduct, and the role of young people in protecting Vietnam’s sovereignty. I hope that Dr. Ha Anh Tuan will hold more seminars to update us on our homeland’s seas and islands in the future.”
(Media Center)