The recent upsurge in tensions between Asia’s rising superstar China and
claimant countries of Southeast Asia over islands in the oil-rich South China
Sea, combined with the entry of outside players like the US and India into the
fray, threatens to cause deep divisions among members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and diminish the association’s status as an
influential regional organization.
An international seminar —
organized by the Center for Asian Strategic Studies — India (CASS-India),
Indonesia’s Institute of Defense and Security Studies (IODAS) and the Institute
for Maritime Studies (IMS) — in Jakarta on Thursday concluded that ASEAN must
formulate a common approach and make efforts to solve the South China Sea issue
in a peaceful manner.
“ASEAN should be responsible for,
and take the initiative in, preventing an escalation of disputes in the South
China Sea,” the one-day seminar concluded in a statement, a copy of which was
made available to The Jakarta Post.
“Developing a common approach to
solving the South China Sea issue should be a political responsibility, serving
the strategic interests of the whole association, for that, the country
assuming the rotating chairmanship must be held responsible for making speeding
up negotiations and achieving a solution a priority.”
In July, for the first time in
the organization’s 45-year history, ASEAN foreign ministers failed to issue a
joint communiqué in Phnom Penh during their annual meeting due to deep divisions
between ASEAN’s current chair Cambodia — a close economic partner of China —
and claimant country the Philippines on the issue of the Scarborough Shoal and
details on claims of other members in the South China Sea.
Geographically the disputed
shoal, known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, is located a little more than 160
kilometers from the Philippines and 800 kilometers from China.
Cambodia’s move to utilize its
chairmanship to serve the interests of China rather than fellow ASEAN members
was not acceptable to many people in Southeast Asia.
“After all, we are all going to
be one community in three years time. ASEAN’s unity and centrality are
important,” Vo Xuan Vinh, a research fellow at the Vietnam Academy of Social
Sciences said at the seminar.
Echoing a similar view,
Thailand’s veteran journalist Kavi Chongkittavorn said there was a need for a
common approach in solving the South China Sea issue.
“If all 10 members are united,
the US will knock on our door and China will come to us,” Kavi told the Post on
the sidelines of the seminar.
Opening the seminar, themed
“Peace, Stability in the South China Sea and Asia Pacific: ASEAN Unity and
Regional Power Engagement in the Region”, on Thursday, Indonesian Defense
Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro emphasized the urgent need for solving the South
China Sea disputes, and all ASEAN members and interested countries from outside
the region had to be involved in the negotiations.
“In the immediate future it is
important for ASEAN to give a high priority to the finalization of the
formulation of a regional code of conduct on the South China Sea and to engage
China as soon as possible”.
Since all the claimants are
sticking to their guns, ASEAN must play a key role in easing the tensions.
“Claimant countries need to
develop maritime confidence-building measures and explore ways for building
trust and confidence that are based on equality and mutual respect. The
involvement of non-regional powers should be made through, and supportive of,
ASEAN,” IMS chairman Adm. (ret) Bernard Kent Sondakh said in closing remarks.
Veeramalla Anjaiah
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. Since we are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, you may contact us at: sbc.pte@gmail.com, provisionally. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment