(VOVworld) – The international community, including Germany, has a vital interest in maintaining peace and ensuring free navigation and aviation in the East Sea. Dr. Gerhard Will of Berlin’s German Institute for International and Security Affairs told delegates during a seminar on East Sea conflicts at the Berlin headquarters of Die Taz newspaper on Tuesday. Dr. Will said China’s recent actions in the East Sea, including its construction of artificial islands in the Paracel (Hoang Sa) and Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelagos and illegal deployment of oil rig Haiyang 981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone have worsened the situation. China’s construction of an artificial island in the East Sea and activities to turn Johnson South Reef and Fiery Cross into islands have violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and adversely affected security and stability in the region.

Scholars speak at the seminar held at Die Taz headquarters in Berlin on December 9th, 2014. Photo: Nguyen Duc/Vietnamplus

Dr. Andreas Seifert, a military analyst at Germany’s Tuebingen Military Research Institute, said China’s nine-dash line claim is both legally and geographically unreasonable, creating ambiguity for everyone, including the Chinese public. He attributed China’s claim to abundant reserves of oil and gas and other natural resources in the East Sea and to the East Sea’s strategic geopolitical position on a major international navigation route. Seifert warned China’s neighbors to be cautious of China’s nine-dash line and the on-going construction of islands in the Spratly and Paracel archipelagos.   

It is widely agreed that disputes in the East Sea should be settled through peaceful means in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Seifert called for a stronger voice from the international community to peacefully settle disputes in this region.