China and India join ASEAN security pact

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

China and India signed the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation on Wednesday, renouncing war as a means to settle disputes among signatory countries.

In the two signing ceremonies attended by the 10 heads of state of the ASEAN member countries, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed the document.

"The most important element of the document is the renouncement of war as a means to settle disputes among related countries," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said.

He said the treaty bound China and India to maintain peaceful relations and not to resort to violence to resolve conflicts.

"This is a strategic cooperation, and Russia is also expected to sign the treaty next year," the minister said.

The treaty was introduced by ASEAN countries during the first ASEAN summit in 1976, also in Bali. It called on the Southeast Asia countries to reject the use of force in the region.

China and India are the first dialog partner countries of the regional grouping to sign the treaty.

Russia has stated its intention to sign the treaty and was originally scheduled to do so at this summit, but it is still awaiting approval from its parliament. It is now expected to sign the treaty in June next year, during the ASEAN ministerial meeting.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad welcomed the development, saying the signing of the treaty by China and India would further ensure peace in the region.

"It will be a good thing for the 2.4 billion people of ASEAN, China and India. The chances for them to live in peace will be much better," Mahathir said in a press conference at the end of the ASEAN Summit.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also welcomed the decision. "We need to carry out cooperation, to solve problems in the region and explicitly state that we shall seek to contribute to the peace and stability in East Asia."

Hassan said Indonesia expected the ASEAN dialog partners Japan and South Korea would also sign the treaty in the future.

"They have said that they are carefully considering signing the treaty," Hassan said, underlining that ASEAN wished to see Japan join the fold as soon as possible.

Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs acting director general for ASEAN, Marty Natalegawa, said the Japanese delegation informed the meeting that they were considering whether signing the treaty would limit the country's strategic cooperation with the United States.

"You should pose the question to the Japanese officials. We have been told that there have been some questions within Japan about how this will impact on the special relation with the U.S.," Marty said.

"They are considering whether the treaty will limit their cooperation with the United States, but it is best to have the question answered by the Japanese side," the Indonesian official said.