The peaceful settlement of disputes without the use or threat to use force in the East Sea emerged as a pressing concern at an international conference held in the northern province of Quang Ninh from October 23-24.

The eruption of Mount Ili Lewotolok in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province forced more than 4,400 people to flee on November 30, said the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

A 6.4-magnitude quake hit Mindanao in the south of the Philippines on October 16.

Malaysia has formed a special team to investigate the collision of the USS John S. McCain destroyer of the US with a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel seven nautical miles off the coast of its Johor state on August 21.

A quake of 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale shook the Luzon island, north of the Philippines on August 11, reported the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs).

Meranti, a super typhoon which is now in the northwest of the Pacific Ocean, is moving towards the East Sea, according to the National Centre of Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

An exhibition opened on December 13 night featuring new works by Gabby Miller, as part of the Queer Forever!2015 festival being held in Hanoi.