French and Vietnamese-French students studying at the Paris DiderotUniversity in Paris attended a workshop on the East Sea at theuniversity on May 21.

As part of the seminar series onVietnam, organised by the Vietnamese Studies faculty at the university,the event provided an opportunity for participants to learn about therecent tensions in the East Sea in detail.

Speaker NguyenHoai Tuong, a member of the “East Sea Group” in France, presented adetailed analysis of the territorial disputes in the East Sea,including China’s unjustified ‘nine-dot line’ claim and baselesssovereignty statements.
Tuong, who is also Vice President ofthe Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts in France,touched upon the current tensions and conflicts in the Sea, with afocus on China’s illegal large-scale construction activities.

Heintroduced participants to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties inthe East Sea (DOC) and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (UNCLOS), highlighting that the 1982 UNCLOS is the key legalbasis for addressing East Sea disputes.

Participants discussedthe historical and legal documents that show Vietnam’s sovereignty overthe Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, as well as measures to resolvedisputes in a peaceful manner.

Established in Paris in 2011, the“East Sea Group” delivers information on the East Sea to Vietnamesenationals residing in France and the French public, and carries outpeaceful projects that call for support in safeguarding Vietnam’ssovereignty over the East Sea.-VNA