Vietnam will likely persuade neighboring countries and others to join territorial negotiations with China on the South China Sea as it presides over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year. The move is likely to prove unsuccessful, say analysts.

Hanoi hosted an international conference in November to discuss disputes in the South China Sea and invited 150 scholars and officials from across Asia.

"The conference, although a scholarly one, was very much politics oriented," said Su Hao, board member of China Asia-Pacific Studies Association and director of Center for Strategic and Conflict Management. Su attended the workshop and told China Daily that it is clear that Vietnam has been trying to internationalize the issue.