“In every element of conflict there is always an opportunity for
cooperation,” said one of Indonesia’s well-respected diplomats as well as
maritime legal expert, Hasyim Djalal, 15 years ago referring to the South China
Sea (SCS).
Sadly, even after 15 years of
strenuous efforts by Indonesia as a regional power and one of the founders of
ASEAN, an element of cooperation has not emerged among claimant countries on
the issue of the South China Sea.
As the leaders of the 10 ASEAN
countries and their eight partners gather in Phnom Penh, the pertinent question
now is what can be done to avoid a major conflict in Southeast Asia?
The strict implementation of the
Declaration of Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea and parties
agreeing to a binding Code of Conduct (COC) could be the modi vivendi to
resolve the tough problems in the South China Sea dispute, which involves
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
There should be enhanced efforts
to find a peaceful solution to the problem. It is already more than two decades
since Indonesia launched track two diplomacy in January 1990, hosting a series
of informal workshops on managing potential conflicts over the South China Sea.
It took 10 years to put forward a
binding COC proposal, a further step to the agreed DOC. However, progress has
been painfully slow. The fast changing situation emanating from an assertive
China and the “rebalancing” by the US of its foreign policy to the Asia
Pacific, especially dynamic Southeast Asia, needs urgent enhanced action from
both Indonesia and ASEAN.
What kind of role can Indonesia
play in helping to resolve these disputes that have the potential to become a
major conflict and threaten stability in the region?
Though Indonesia is not a
claimant country, it has a large stake in the dispute. First, China’s
controversial nine-dashed, U-shaped line touches Indonesia’s Natuna gas field
and its adjacent waters, and second, it feels that the South China Sea disputes
threaten peace and stability in ASEAN.
Indonesia has played a role in
all the peacebuilding initiatives, ranging from the DOC to the COC, to
disentangle the South China Sea imbroglio.
“Since the South China Sea
disputes are a potential source of conflict and instability in the region,
Indonesia has been playing an active role in getting ASEAN to seek to ensure
that the disputes do not escalate into armed conflict,” Rodolfo C. Severino,
former ASEAN secretary-general, recently wrote in the Global Times daily.
It’s a fact that Southeast Asian
countries are very weak states in comparison to the mighty China, while ASEAN
is a loose-knit inter-governmental organization. That’s why China always want
to discuss the issue with individual countries rather that at a regional level.
It’s time for Indonesia to work on building unity within ASEAN, not only for
the South China Sea dispute but also other issues.
In three years’ time, all 10
member states will become a single community. If ASEAN is united, its
bargaining position and leverage will be enhanced, and it will be able to deal
with major issues as a family.
Since the South China Sea
disputes affect both claimants and non-claimants alike, ASEAN unity is crucial.
Veeramalla Anjaiah
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