Thailand concerned over security in South China Sea<\/p>\n
By Pandaya<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (JP): Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai expressed
\nconcern yesterday over security in the South China Sea, calling
\nfor \"preventive diplomacy\" to settle the smoldering conflict over
\nthe Spratly Islands.<\/p>\n
\"The competition for ocean space and resources in the South
\nChina Sea is a particularly worrisome prospect,\" Chuan said when
\nopening the 27th ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting.<\/p>\n
\"We appreciate Indonesia's ongoing effort to provide a forum
\nfor peacefully settling this potentially explosive issue in the
\nspirit of the ASEAN Declaration on South China Sea,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Security and stability in the South China Sea is a burning
\nissue in the meeting attended by Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
Vietnam and Laos, which have both applied for ASEAN
\nmembership, are attending as invited observers. Cambodia is
\nattending as the guest of ASEAN and Myanmar as guest of the host
\ncountry Thailand.<\/p>\n
Peaceful settlement of the conflicting claims to the
\npotentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is
\nexpected to top the agenda when ASEAN foreign ministers meet with
\ntheir consultative partners, China and Russia and dialog
\npartners, the United States, Canada, the European Union,
\nAustralia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.<\/p>\n
China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia have laid
\nclaims to part or all of the sprawling string of tiny islands.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has initiated four seminars to help seek a peaceful
\nsolution to the conflict.<\/p>\n
Chuan also raised concern over a regional arms race and
\nproposed the formation of some kind of regional arms control
\nregime to deter arms build-up.<\/p>\n
He warned that other issues, such as the illegal movement of
\npeople, drug trafficking, human rights abuses, ethnic conflicts
\nand environmental degradation could pose a threat to stability
\nand security in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
In the post-Cold War era, ASEAN should cling to its principle
\nof free and equitable association among states and tackle
\npotentially disruptive issues like territorial disputes with new
\napproaches and strategies, Chuan said.<\/p>\n
Protectionist<\/p>\n
He called for better economic cooperation among member states
\nthrough the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (Afta)
\nand collaboration with other Southeast Asian countries.<\/p>\n
\"Afta, which signifies a regional building bloc for global
\ntrade liberation, should not fail if we want to keep ASEAN
\neconomies at the forefront in this changing environment.\"<\/p>\n
With the proposed East Asian Economic Caucus, ASEAN will gain
\nmore confidence in its pro-active orientation, he added.<\/p>\n
The caucus, proposed by Malaysia, has not been discussed much
\nin the meeting even though Kuala Lumpur is determined to press
\nahead with it.<\/p>\n
ASEAN, Chuan said, should support the recent conclusion of the
\nUruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the
\nestablishment of the World Trade Organization because they were
\nin line with its advocacy for open regionalism, and elimination
\nof trade barriers.<\/p>\n
He said the Uruguay Round did not settle a potential
\ncontroversy along the North-South divide, namely the concern of
\ndeveloping countries about protectionist trends in developed
\nnations.<\/p>\n
\"Of particular concern is protectionism against textile and
\nagricultural products,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Chuan echoed the growing anxiety about an emerging practice
\namong developed countries of linking trade and aid issues with
\nsocio-political conditions in the developing world.<\/p>\n
He said ASEAN should use the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
\nforum to further the regional growth and dynamism in the
\nSoutheast Asian region.<\/p>\n
Thai Foreign Minister Prasong Soonsiri was elected chairman of
\nthis year's annual meeting and his Brunei counterpart Prince
\nMohamed Bolkiah vice chairman.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thailand-concerned-over-security-in-south-china-sea-1447893297",
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