V

ietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has reiterated the need to solve the ongoing dispute on the South China Sea through peaceful dialogue and negotiation based on international laws.

Speaking to journalists from members of the Asia News Network (ANN) '€” an alliance of 22 newspapers from 19 countries in Asia '€” he said that ASEAN and China must talk responsibly to maintain peace and stability in the region.

'€œPeace, stability, safety for navigation and maritime security are shared concerns and shared interests not only for ASEAN but also for Asian countries and the international community. This is a dispute of sovereignty between China and several ASEAN countries,'€ he said during a meeting with the ANN journalists last Thursday.

'€œASEAN and China have agreed on the issuance of the Conduct of Parties on the South China Sea and even manifested ASEAN'€™s six-point principles on the East Sea [South China Sea], which required all parties to abide by international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, implement the declaration on the conduct of parties [DOC] and create a code of conduct [COC],'€ Nguyen added.

Tension has been rising in the South China Sea since May 1, 2014 following an action by China'€™s state oil firm CNOOC to drill near the Paracel Islands, which is located near the Vietnamese coastline and is also claimed by the latter country. Other countries, namely Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, also lay claim to the area.

The CNOOC announced on its website that the firm discovered its first deep-sea gas field in the volatile waters on Aug. 18 at a depth of about 1,500 meters, the Associated Press reported last week.

Reuters reported two weeks ago that Vietnam would deploy its latest armada of Kilo-class submarines from Russia, which might make Beijing think twice before pushing Vietnam around in relation to the disputed waters.

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh was quoted by Reuters as saying that Vietnam would not start a conflict in the South China Sea but, if one began, the country '€œwould not just stand back and watch'€.

Bloomberg reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to turn China into a maritime power and make its military a modern fighting force as it is involved in spats with Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan over disputed territory.

During the meeting with the ANN members, Dung also discussed the freedom of the press, saying that it was a fundamental civil right but its implementation must comply with legal regulations to ensure that the freedom would not infringe others'€™ rights.

'€œIt is also the right of citizens and a legitimate right that should be respected. The freedom of the press must be exercised to serve the interests of the state, the public, society and the people without causing aggression to the freedom of other people,'€ he said as he concluded the meeting.

Editors from 22 members of the ANN gathered in Hanoi for an annual working meeting on Sept. 18 and 19, to enhance cooperation in order to provide better information about Asia from different perspectives.

Pana Janviroj, executive editor of the ANN and president of The Nation newspaper in Thailand, said the network planned to revamp its main website and explore better ways to share photographs and videos with member newspapers. He said it recently piloted an initiative where subscribers could access four e-papers from four media members of the network at the same time.