China, Japan, Korea, ASEAN to protect seas

China, Japan, Korea, ASEAN to protect seas

M.Jegathesan, Agence France-Presse, Putrajaya, Malaysia

China, Japan and the two Koreas met with eight ASEAN countries in
Malaysia on Friday to adopt a common plan to protect East Asia's
overexploited and polluted seas, despite overlapping claims in
the South China Sea.

Hayao Hora, Japan's vice-minister for transport and
international affairs described the adoption of the "Sustainable
Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia" as an epoch-
making event.

The strategy is the product of research launched at a meeting
in Dalian, China, in July 2000, and seeks to coordinate responses
to the growing threat to the marine environment.

The seas in question are bordered by the countries involved in
the project -- China, North and South Korea, Japan, and
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members The
Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand,
Cambodia and Vietnam.

Environment ministers and officials from the 12 countries
inked the plan in Malaysia's new administrative capital near
Kuala Lumpur.

The strategy calls for the countries to "adopt a shared vision
of the seas of East Asia" and take concrete steps to protect
them, while offering a set of guidelines to ensure sustainable
use of coastal and marine resources and ecologically-sound
economic activities.

Law Hieng Ding, Malaysia's minister of science, technology and
the environment, said with the adoption of the strategy the East
Asian region now had a common cooperative platform to address
problems.

Haiqing Li, director-general of China's state oceanic
administration, said the region needed to redouble its efforts to
protect its seas.

China would like the proposals to be institutionalized,
otherwise the strategy "would only be on paper", he said.

The strategy imposes no new legal obligations on the
participating countries.

Asked if the overlapping claims of the Spratly Islands in the
South China Sea hinder joint action, Haiqing said China was
prepared to cooperate with all the claimants.

Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Taiwan
all claim the Spratly Islands, a potentially oil-rich chain of
islands.

In November last year, the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a treaty with China hoping to
prevent an escalation of tensions over the Spratlys.

Cielito Habito, an environmental expert from the Philippines
told AFP there were "a lot of hurdles" in the way of achieving
cooperation.

"We know in the back of our minds, there are these political
undertones and territorial disputes," he said.