Settling East Sea issue needs more effort

There is no denying that the relationships between ASEAN and China are very important to all sides, as their trade, market and supply chain successes are closely linked through the ongoing process of globalisation. The shipping routes traversing the East Sea are also commercially crucial to all sides.

At the recent 21^st ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Cambodia, new trade initiatives were proposed, making maritime security and safety even more crucial.

US President Barack Obama urged the parties concerned to accelerate the ongoing negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. China has yet to participate in the negotiations, but the four East Sea bordering ASEAN member countries, namely Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, are already engaged in the process.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has meanwhile sought discussions on the establishment of a new free trade area, incorporating 10 ASEAN countries, India, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Japan, China and Australia.

If these treaties enter into force, the internal and trans-national trade of the entire Pacific region will surge. The East Sea, a strategic maritime route, will only become more and more important, and any disputes or threats to regional security harm every party involved. In other words, prolonged disputes and escalated tensions are detrimental to regional relations in general.

That’s why ASEAN leaders, during their recent summit in Cambodia, tried to persuade China to give its impetus to negotiations for another legally binding document called the Code of Conduct (COC) of Parties in the East Sea.

China insists on conducting bilateral negotiations with each of the countries that claim sovereignty over the disputed waters in the East Sea.  

International observers say bilateral negotiations are unfeasible given the current trend of global integration and the economic inter-dependence that spans not only trade, but also market, investment and human resources.

Nationalist passions of the parties involved also burden bilateral negotiations with unhelpful additional pressure.    

Only multilateral negotiations, based on legal principles agreed upon by all parties concerned, can help solve the East Sea issue peacefully and in the long run.

Efforts are being made to draft a COC that can help prevent any potential military conflicts in the region. Such a code will prove essential for helping ASEAN and its partners, including China, to focus on socio-economic cooperation for mutual benefit.