International policymakers and security experts at the 17th South China Sea Conference in Vietnam’s Da Nang pressed ASEAN to reduce its growing dependence on China and to internationalise the South China Sea issue to safeguard regional peace and freedom of navigation.

Participants urged collective global engagement to counter China’s increasingly assertive maritime actions, as reported by The Taipei Times.

According to The Taipei Times, the two-day event, organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, drew defence officials, diplomats, and scholars from over 40 nations. The forum served as a platform to discuss China’s escalating aggression and the urgent need for ASEAN to assert greater autonomy in dealing with maritime disputes.

Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela shared ho

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