China and ASEAN see need for talks

China and ASEAN see need for talks

BUKITTINGGI, West Sumatra (AFP): China and the seven-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on the need for dialogue to lessen tensions in the region, officials said here yesterday.

"It must be acknowledged that tensions exist in the region due to long-standing disputes," Izhar Ibrahim, the director general of political affairs at the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry, said.

Izhar, who is co-chair of the two-day meeting, was addressing the opening session of this second consultation between China and ASEAN.

He warned that these disputes, if not properly managed, could erupt into open conflict threatening regional peace and security, and said dialogue on political and security matters should be fostered in the region.

The head of the Chinese delegation, Vice Foreign Minister Tang Jia Xuan, called on China and ASEAN "to discuss our common concerns with sincerity and open-mindedness."

Beijing, Tang said, attached great importance to its ties with ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. He pledged to discuss issues of "common concern," although he provided no details.

Several ASEAN countries and other states in the region have overlapping territorial claims to the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

Izhar told the meeting that the current situation in the region was "relatively stable and tranquil," and attributed it to the practice of cultivating dialogue, consensus and cooperation among states.

Officials said that the first day of talks would include a review of developments in China and ASEAN as well as a review of relations between the regional organization and China.

The consultation will also address Asian security issues, including ASEAN's South East Asian Nuclear Free Zone, Indonesian officials said.

Discussions on the South China Sea territorial disputes, although not formally scheduled, may also take place. In addition, participants may consider Beijing's stated intent to become one of ASEAN's dialogue partners.

ASEAN's current main dialogue partners are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States.

Before the meeting opened, Ibrahim said ASEAN senior officials had agreed to make China a main dialogue partner. He said it was now up to the ministers to decide.