Seminar on East Sea, Asia-Pacific security in Poland

Delegates heard reports by such prestigious Polish politicians and researchers as Chairman of the Poland – Vietnam Friendship Association Prof. Dr. Tadeusz Iwinski, expert of international politics at Warmia Mazury University; Director of the Centre for International Studies at the University of Lodz Malgorzata Pietrasiak, military expert Pawel Behrendt, and expert on Vietnamese studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan Jakub Krolczykn. 

They discussed disputes in the East Sea, especially recent developments in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, saying that China has conducted massive militarisation activities and changed the status quo in the East Sea over the past five years. 

Such moves indicate that China could continue strengthening its influence in the East Sea – one of the most important navigation routes in the world, they said.

On the European Union and Poland’s stance on the East Sea issue, experts said the EU always calls for minimising disputes in respect for international law and objecting to the construction of artificial islands in the East Sea. 

Prof. Pietrasiak said countries involved in the East Sea disputes need to respect international law, including the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that refuted historic evidence of China. 

According to him, the Polish President and government also declared that every dispute should be settled in line with international law and powerful countries’ use of or threat to use of forces against smaller ones is unaccepted. 

The event, the second of its kind, was co-hosted by the Centre for Poland – Asia Studies and the Colegium Civitas University.-