Deputy Foreign Minister and head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam Nguyen Quoc Dung. (Photo: nhandan.vn)

This was the most important outcome of the ASEAN-China special summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of bilateral dialogue relations in Monday, according to Mr. Dung.

He told reporters that summit participants agreed to jointly make the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) into a sea of peace, security, stability, and cooperation. They emphasised the importance of building trust, respecting international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and settling disputes by peaceful means, he said.

They pledged to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and promote the building of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said ASEAN and China should continue building strategic trust, promoting comprehensive cooperation, and multiplying achievements towards the goals and benefits of bilateral relations. He urged China to use its influence to help solve global problems, including in the East Sea, and maintain peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region, said Deputy Minister Dung.