Cooperation to settle conflicts in the East Sea - some suggestions from Vietnam’s perspective

Sovereignty disputes in the East Sea keep the record of time, complexity, distance, number of islands and number of claimants in the history of maritime disputes. The innovative models of bilateral and multilateral cooperation have had a certain effect on reducing tensions, enhancing cooperation and encouraging dialogues among the parties involved. However, these efforts have not been considered effective to settle the issues. Concerning that reality, countries around the East Sea, especially the claimants have continued to find, develop and implement collaborative activities. From such awareness, this paper aims at studying the collaborative models which have been applied in the East Sea. Then, we would continue to study the advantages and disadvantages of these models. Finally, we would like to propose new suitable models to enhance effective cooperation and avoid conflicts and painful consequences that may occur in the East Sea. All models are built up from the perspective of Vietnam, basing on the fundamental interests of Vietnam, along with the investigation and reconciliation of the claimants’ interests in the region.