- HANOI, Vietnam: Southeast Asia’s navy chiefs are in Vietnam to discuss ways to strengthen security on the high seas after recent run-ins with China rattled nerves over disputed areas of the South China Sea.
The meeting comes a week after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to a preliminary plan with China to peacefully resolve disputes over contested territory claimed all or in part by several Asian nations.
Vietnam’s navy chief Nguyen Van Hien said during Wednesday’s opening that the meeting comes as “security in the East Sea is extremely complicated,” referring to the South China Sea by its Vietnamese name.
Vietnam and the Philippines have recently sparred with Beijing after accusing China of interfering with oil exploration activities in disputed waters.