(VOVworld) - Foreign scholars have urged China to cooperate with the ASEAN in the drafting of a Code of Conduct for Parties in the East Sea. They were speaking at a discussion in Da Nang City on Saturday to review China’s intention when placing the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig deep inside Vietnam’s waters.

They criticized Chinese move, especially its vessels’ violent acts of using high powered water canon and ramming into Vietnamese civil law enforcement ships and sinking Vietnamese fishing boats. Related parties need to exercise restraint, build trust and not unilaterally break the status quo to maintain peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. They called for the early adoption of a Code of Conduct between ASEAN and China on the East Sea with solid binding to prevent escalation of tension. They hailed the importance of historical and legal evidence on territorial acquisition based on international law to resolve territorial conflict in Paracel and Spratly archipelagos. Professor Eric Franck from Belgium’s Free University of Brussels said any use of force to break the status quo and infringe other countries’ national sovereignty to exclusively seize the East Sea was unacceptable: “We need to review the situation from two perspectives to define national sovereignty according to international law. Evidence from Vietnam has been more convincing than that of China. Regardless of China’s decision to participate at international court, Vietnam should take legal action to the tribunal to gather international support”

On Saturday, an exhibition entitled “ Hoang Sa – Truong Sa inseparable territory of Vietnam” opened to display documents and objects confirming Vietnam’s constant and peaceful enforcement of its sovereign rights in Paracel and Spratly archipelagos for many centuries.

Researcher Bui Van Tieng is chairman of Da Nang city’s History Science Association: “This evidence will contribute to our diplomatic struggle to protect our victory with sound history and legal evidence. They will help researchers and scholars build up their reference to join in the struggle demanding China’s immediate withdrawal of its oil rig from Vietnam’s waters.”