(VOVworld) - About thirty European scholars attending a workshop in Norway refuted China’s groundless claim of the ‘nine-dash line’ or ‘U-shaped line’ in the East Sea, saying it cannot be used for sovereignty negotiations.

Meeting at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) last week, delegates examined challenges to maritime security in East Asia, especially mounting tensions in the East Sea and the East China Sea that might lead to armed conflicts. They underlined the need to build confidence and strengthen maritime security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, and expressed their deep concern about China’s flouting of international law in the East Sea, which they said is threatening the security and safety of international navigation.