The conference was expected to attract the participation of about 250 delegates, including the prestigious speakers and scholars in Vietnam and around the world who have much influence in the region and the world. It was organized in the semi-online and semi-direct forms because many foreign scholars familiar with the East Sea issues can not come to Vietnam due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the theme “Maintaining peace and cooperation through time of turbulence", the conference expressed Vietnam’s expectation in maintaining cooperation and dialogue in order to maintain peace in the South China Sea in the current context of unpredictable developments.
The conference consists of 8 main sessions and 1 special session on a wide range of topics including discussion on the East Sea in recent developments; assessment of the role of ASEAN with the post-2025 vision; debate of diplomatic notes; competition for the stories about the East Sea and the role of the media; how to prepare a code of conduct to avoid disputes in the East Sea; fish, fishing and protection of the fishery resources; marine science research; and sustainable development of the marine resources.
The conference in 2020 has one more special session for the young leaders to nourish and connect the next generations to promote the legal order, maintain peace and cooperation in the East Sea in the future.