Vietnam Emphasizes Maritime Security and International Law at 50th Anniversary of SE Asian Treaty

On July 24, in Manila, Philippines, the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) was celebrated. The event was chaired by Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, with the participation of ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and over 60 representatives from TAC member and participating states, including more than 20 ministerial-level heads of delegation. Vietnam's delegation was led by Comrade Le Hoai Trung, Member of the Politburo and Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the ceremony, four countries – Sweden, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania – signed documents to accede to the TAC, followed by a summit of TAC participating parties. In the session on enhancing maritime security and cooperation, the Vietnamese delegation emphasized that the principles of the TAC serve as a "foundational code of conduct" guiding relations among nations within and outside the region, amidst profound global changes, rising geopolitical tensions, challenges to international law, and erosion of multilateralism. Vietnam affirmed that the time-tested principles of the TAC, including respect for sovereignty, non-use of force, and peaceful settlement of disputes, are not only applicable on land but also form the basis for promoting relations among nations on the oceans and in the seas connecting the region. Vietnam underscored ASEAN's principled stance on maritime security, particularly the principle of respecting international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982. Furthermore, adherence to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and efforts to negotiate a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) are direct translations of the TAC's principles into concrete commitments for maritime security and cooperation. Vietnam highlighted that the cooperative spirit of the TAC is central to building broader regional security structures (such as ARF, EAS, ADMM+) and shaping the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). Vietnam called on TAC participating parties to take joint actions to transform strategic trust into concrete cooperation, ensuring common peace, stability, and prosperity. On the same day, within the framework of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung held bilateral meetings with Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen and Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.