[ad_1]
Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (center), at a press conference on September 12 – Photo: Nhat Dang
After the last business day of September 12, the ASEAN 53rd Meeting of Foreign Ministers (AMM 53) ended with a press conference chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh.
AMM 53 and related conferences were held September 9-12. The events were held online with the participation of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and partners. A total of 27 delegations from 4 continents.
The issue of the South China Sea attracted public attention at AMM 53 and related conferences previously, especially in the context of China’s tense actions such as the sinking of fishing boats, construction and troops. illegalization of islands.
Beijing is also under great international pressure due to the accusation of ignoring the 2016 ruling, which rejected Beijing’s claim to claim the “yellow dock line.” This award was established by an arbitral tribunal in accordance with Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
Responding to journalists’ questions about whether China has agreed to comply with the 1982 UNCLOS, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said. The South China Sea has always been a central theme in ASEAN conferences, because the South China Sea is one of the most important shipping routes in the world, related to the interests of regional and non-regional countries.
And so, at any ASEAN conference, the issue of the South China Sea is raised in the spirit of calling for, contributing, and turning the East Sea into a sea of peace, stability and freedom of navigation. both under the sea and in the sky.
“We always ask for compliance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS Convention. All countries, in their statements at the meeting, affirmed that international law must be respected, in which UNCLOS 1982 has.
I see that all countries are members of the 1982 convention, including China, Vietnam, and the ASEAN countries. Compliance with the 1982 UNCLOS Convention is natural for members of the Convention, “said Mr. Pham Binh Minh.
Also at the press conference, the Deputy Prime Minister shared that despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMM 53 and related conferences this year were still taking place with success, in which the central agenda remained All Parties they strive to discuss and approve.
In fact, in addition to the South China Sea issue, ASEAN and China also recently discussed development cooperation initiatives, including the global data security initiative, the master plan to connect the ASEAN 2025 initiative with the “Belt – Road from China “.
In response to ASEAN’s responses to these initiatives, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasized that ASEAN is an open community, always welcoming initiatives from interested partner countries.
“If these initiatives contribute to common development, building a peaceful, stable and prosperous environment in the region, ASEAN always supports them.
With the initiatives that China launched at this conference, now they are all ASEAN countries, ministers assigned to the ministries, branches from the two sides to study, “he said.
