ASEAN should call on all relevant parties to comply with the DOC, UNCLOS and ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles in the East Sea when dealing with issues related to the sea area, a Vietnamese official said. Minister Pham Binh Minh made the statement when he was speaking at the 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, on June 30. He said that the East Sea related issues are common concern for all countries in the region and emphasized the East Sea has seen complex developments in recent times, including many territorial claims and cases of ships firing at or ramming into Vietnamese fishing boats in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.

Such incidents went against the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

Therefore, the minister proposes that ASEAN call on all relevant parties to respect the commitments made in the DOC, UNCLOS and ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles in the East Sea.

Regional countries should restrain themselves to settle disputes through peaceful means and never use force, he said, adding that  all parties concerned should set up effective liaison channels, such as a hotline for sea-related issues between ASEAN and China.

In addition, related countries should step up the building of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) to maintain peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the waters, Minh said.

The official suggested that ASEAN push China to engage in official negotiations on the COC, particularly when the two sides celebrate the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year.

FM Minh said he supported Thailand’s proposal to host the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in August in Hua Hin and for another joint statement between ASEAN and China towards building the COC.

Minh also called on all ASEAN countries to make more efforts to meet the deadline of establishment of the ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015.