Vietnam resolves to safeguard rights interests in east sea official

RoK Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha  (Photo: EPA/VNA) Sydney (VNA) – Australia and the Republic of Korea (RoK) expressed their grave concern over recent developments in the East Sea, and affirmed the importance to maintain and promote peace and stability in the waters, at the fourth Australia – RoK Foreign and Defence Ministers Meeting in Sydney. In a joint statement announced on December 12, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, and their Korean counterparts Kang Kyung-wha and Jeong Kyeong-doo emphasised the significance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, and the need for states to resolve disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ministers acknowledged ongoing discussions on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea, and called for a COC to be consistent with international law, including UNCLOS, … [Read more...] about Australia, RoK voice concern over East Sea dispute

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is drafting a circular providing guidance for the application of safeguard measures for textile and apparel products under the CPTPP. Workers iron clothes at Garment 10 Corporation. The MoIT is drafting a circular on safeguard measures for textile and apparel products under CPTPP. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is the first “new-generation” free trade agreement (FTA) that Viet Nam has signed. It officially took effect on January 14 this year. With 11 member countries and high tariff reduction commitments, the use of legal tools to protect the domestic industry is likely to occur. Therefore, the ministry said it was essential to issue guidelines for measures to safeguard against the risk of increasing imports. They include transitional and emergency action measures. The transition period for Viet Nam’s textile and apparel products is up to five years. During this period, … [Read more...] about Vietnam considers safeguard measures for apparel sector under CPTPP

BANGKOK - Beijing said Sunday it is "ready to work" with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the flashpoint South China Sea, where it is accused of bullying fellow claimants and building up military installations. China claims most of the resource-rich waterway, a major global shipping route and long a source of tension among claimants in Southeast Asia. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been locked in talks for a code of conduct for the sea, where China is accused of deploying warships, arming outposts and ramming fishing vessels. The agreement, set to be finished in 2021, will set out conduct guidelines for the sea along with conflict resolution parameters. On Sunday, China's premier Li Keqiang said the first reading of the document -- a chance for all members to comment on the draft terms -- was "a very important landmark.” "We stand ready to work with ASEAN countries building on the existing foundation and the basis to strive for new … [Read more...] about Beijing Says ‘Ready to Work’ with ASEAN on South China Sea Rules

TAIPEI - China is withholding details on the boundaries of its vast claims to a resource-rich sea contested by five other governments because it distrusts international law and wants to ensure control over tracts of water that it considers crucial, maritime scholars say. Exactly what Beijing claims in the South China Sea surfaced as in issue March 7, when Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called on the Communist leadership to define its “so-called ownership.” Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan contest all or parts China’s sovereignty claims over the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea. China today uses a nine-dash line to define its claims to about 90 percent of the sea that stretches from Hong Kong to Borneo. It has upset other claimants over the past decade by creating artificial islands for military use within that line and passing coast guard vessels through foreign exclusive economic zones. To be more specific would let international … [Read more...] about China Expected to Keep Its Exact Claim to Disputed Sea a Secret

TAIPEI - A beaching ramp due for completion this year – and warily watched by China – will give curious reporters something new to see when the Philippine military next escorts them to Thitu Island. Media pay attention to the 37-hectare (90 acres) islet west of the main Philippine archipelago because it’s the front line in a sovereignty dispute over the wider, largely off-limits South China Sea. China also claims Thitu, and it’s developing three other islets not far off. Thitu, home to about 100 people plus an airstrip, is one South China Sea islet that allows some form of public access. Governments that control the sea’s islets seldom permit anyone but their own personnel to visit, but some believe wider access can their bolster sovereignty claims by showing actual use, a criterion cited in international legal disputes. Among officials in China, which is starting to allow cruises, “they see tourism as a means of exercise of administrative … [Read more...] about How the Public Can Visit the Disputed, Undeveloped South China Sea