Thailand concerned over security in South China Sea
Thailand concerned over security in South China Sea
By Pandaya
BANGKOK (JP): Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai expressed
concern yesterday over security in the South China Sea, calling
for "preventive diplomacy" to settle the smoldering conflict over
the Spratly Islands.
"The competition for ocean space and resources in the South
China Sea is a particularly worrisome prospect," Chuan said when
opening the 27th ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting.
"We appreciate Indonesia's ongoing effort to provide a forum
for peacefully settling this potentially explosive issue in the
spirit of the ASEAN Declaration on South China Sea," he said.
Security and stability in the South China Sea is a burning
issue in the meeting attended by Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the
Philippines.
Vietnam and Laos, which have both applied for ASEAN
membership, are attending as invited observers. Cambodia is
attending as the guest of ASEAN and Myanmar as guest of the host
country Thailand.
Peaceful settlement of the conflicting claims to the
potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is
expected to top the agenda when ASEAN foreign ministers meet with
their consultative partners, China and Russia and dialog
partners, the United States, Canada, the European Union,
Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.
China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia have laid
claims to part or all of the sprawling string of tiny islands.
Indonesia has initiated four seminars to help seek a peaceful
solution to the conflict.
Chuan also raised concern over a regional arms race and
proposed the formation of some kind of regional arms control
regime to deter arms build-up.
He warned that other issues, such as the illegal movement of
people, drug trafficking, human rights abuses, ethnic conflicts
and environmental degradation could pose a threat to stability
and security in Southeast Asia.
In the post-Cold War era, ASEAN should cling to its principle
of free and equitable association among states and tackle
potentially disruptive issues like territorial disputes with new
approaches and strategies, Chuan said.
Protectionist
He called for better economic cooperation among member states
through the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (Afta)
and collaboration with other Southeast Asian countries.
"Afta, which signifies a regional building bloc for global
trade liberation, should not fail if we want to keep ASEAN
economies at the forefront in this changing environment."
With the proposed East Asian Economic Caucus, ASEAN will gain
more confidence in its pro-active orientation, he added.
The caucus, proposed by Malaysia, has not been discussed much
in the meeting even though Kuala Lumpur is determined to press
ahead with it.
ASEAN, Chuan said, should support the recent conclusion of the
Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the
establishment of the World Trade Organization because they were
in line with its advocacy for open regionalism, and elimination
of trade barriers.
He said the Uruguay Round did not settle a potential
controversy along the North-South divide, namely the concern of
developing countries about protectionist trends in developed
nations.
"Of particular concern is protectionism against textile and
agricultural products," he said.
Chuan echoed the growing anxiety about an emerging practice
among developed countries of linking trade and aid issues with
socio-political conditions in the developing world.
He said ASEAN should use the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum to further the regional growth and dynamism in the
Southeast Asian region.
Thai Foreign Minister Prasong Soonsiri was elected chairman of
this year's annual meeting and his Brunei counterpart Prince
Mohamed Bolkiah vice chairman.