Vietnam strongly protests the establishment of the so-called Sansha city in Phu Lam Island in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa archipelago and related activities as they seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said.

Deputy Foreign Minister and head of SOM ASEAN of Viet Nam Nguyen Quoc Dung and Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Takeo Mori co-chaired the 35th ASEAN-Japan Forum, which was held virtually on October 14.

Typhoon Nangka, the seventh arising in the East Sea so far this year, is moving west-northwest at a speed of about 20km over the next 24 hours and is likely to gain strength, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Two consecutive storms are forecast to emerge from the East Sea later this week, with the current tropical depression likely to strengthen into typhoon No. 7, 

The sustainable development of the marine economy in association with the consolidation of defence and security is among the important sections of a resolution from the Communist Party of Vietnam

During the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on September 12, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers once again called for the early completion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). But obstacles remain.

The central region is forecast to experience prolonged heavy rains and floods in the coming days due to a low-pressure system in the East Sea that may grow into a tropical depression.

In October and November, the East Sea will have strong storms, which will affect provinces in central Vietnam.

On October 22, 2018, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong signed a resolution on the strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy to 2030 and vision to 2045, known as Resolution No 36.

Vietnam wants code of conduct (COC) negotiations for parties in the East Sea between Southeast Asian nations and China to resume soon, after months of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson has said.

Vietnam welcomes the stance held by other countries on the East Sea issue that conforms with international law, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said

China has shifted from a 'wolf warrior' diplomacy to calling for the implementation of three points on dialogue, cooperation and dispute control, as Politburo member Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said recently. They are:

The Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling is the key for ASEAN countries in the fight for a law-based order with the central role of ASEAN to achieve the goal of peace, stability and dynamism.

China is still looking for new arguments to refute the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)’s ruling in 2016. The legal battle in the East Sea is not over yet.

The 17th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-17) was held online by the Ministry of National Defence on September 24 under the theme “Military cooperation for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN”.

Entering the third quarter of the year, US-China tensions have become increasingly fierce, in all aspects from trade and human rights to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to the East Sea, and closure of technology firms.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany have submitted note verbales expressing their views against the seven notes the Chinese mission had proposed for circulation at the United Nations. 

On 12 July 2016, the tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring China’s “claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction” related to the “nine-dash line” as unlawful. 

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have come together to issue a joint note verbale to the United Nations in order to challenge China’s claims in the East Sea.

At least one person was killed, 29 were injured and more than 1,700 houses’ roofs were blown away after Storm Noul made landfall in Quang Bình and Thua Thien-Hue provinces at around 10am on Friday morning.