Addressing the event, Indian and Vietnamese scholars reiterated the importance of sea routes in the East Sea as they contributed to around US$5 trillion worth of commodity transported as they served 9 out of 10 busiest container ports in the world.

The East Sea does matter to the interests of Southeast Asia and India. Scholars said China's Haiyan Dizhi 8 ship infringement on the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of Vietnam in the East Sea for months caused intense and instability in the region as well as international concern, harming Chinese image and deteriorating international community’s trust in China.

They reaffirmed the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as a legal document of constitutional value and called for an early finalization of the Code of Conducts for Parties in the East Sea (COC) for peace and stability in the region.