Brunei eased things over sea row, says expert

Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

AS EXPECTATIONS loom for the second ASEAN Summit in October, a leading Southeast Asian expert said while Brunei had successfully lowered the temperature of a maritime row with China, it would be a "miracle" if a code of conduct (CoC) was concluded at the October meeting.

Kavi Chongkittavorn, senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies in Thailand, said it could still be several years before the CoC is complete.

"I don't think it will take 10 years. I don't think it will take five years but it will be a miracle if CoC can be completed by October," he told The Brunei Times in an exclusive interview.

"But if it were to happen that will be great for all concerning parties and most importantly it would stabilise ASEAN-China relations."

ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia are locked in a dispute with China over who owns rights over the South China Sea home to rich fishing grounds and possibly vast mineral reserves.

Beijing claims almost all the sea as its sovereign territory, which overlaps with the claims of the four ASEAN countries.

Kavi, who also serves as a columnist for Thai newspaper The Nation, said Brunei's "quiet diplomacy" leading up to the first summit in April had ensured the meeting's success.

The chair had managed to contain tensions and set the groundwork for ASEAN-China negotiations on the CoC a process which had been frozen since last year.

"The chair visited America, China, the two most important dialogue partners of ASEAN," said Kavi.

"Brunei is a small country but with a lot of soft power. When Brunei comes on stage no one can question its credentials to represent ASEAN interests."

When the Sultanate took on chairmanship of 10-nation grouping at the beginning of the year, it had three clearly defined objectives to contain tensions in the South China Sea; ensure concrete progress on the ASEAN Economic Community; and raise ASEAN awareness among youth.

While ASEAN leaders were seemingly upbeat about the prospect for peace, Kavi said the path was still full of hurdles.

"If the atmosphere continues this way it will provide a very conducive atmosphere for both sides to sit down. But whether they will conclude CoC or not would depend on the general situation over the next few months," he said, referring to recent Chinese forays into disputed territory.

"First there needs to be calm in the disputed areas, and then ASEAN can start implementing the Declaration of Conduct... These are part of confidence building measures to return all conflicting parties to the negotiating table."

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times