KUALA LUMPUR: Countries in the South China Sea region should not confine themselves to resolving overlapping claims but also explore other opportunities for cooperation, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot said.
He said Malaysia acknowledged that overlapping claims and geopolitics matters were the real issues to be addressed by there but stressed that they should cooperate for a more beneficial relation.
In addition, he said there should be more discourse through conferences, workshops and seminars to promote greater understanding among the countries in the South China Sea region, foster cooperation and contribute towards regional peace and harmony.
“In the final analysis, not much can be gained by portraying the South China Sea as a region fraught with perils and dangers that could turn explosive at any time,” he said in his opening speech at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia’s Conference on “South China Sea: Recent Developments and Implications Towards Peaceful Dispute Resolutions” here yesterday.
The text of his speech was read by Special Adviser to the Foreign Affairs Minister on Maritime Issues, Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin.
Riot said: “It would be more constructive to view the situation and area as providing great promise for a future that would benefit not only the littoral states but also a wider international community of nations; and rather than contention and conflict, we see cooperation and collaboration as the way forward.”
The South China Sea, one of the most important waterways in the world, recorded over 40,000 vessel movements last year comprising of 21,335 tankers and almost 19,000 container vessels while in 2009, ports around South China Sea handled a total of 658 million tonnes of cargo. — Bernama
Riot said these factors would have contributed to a cooperative and synergistic relation between the littoral states of the South China Sea.
“Unfortunately, the discourse on the South China Sea is often skewed towards the overlapping claims in the area and discussions in geopolitics, the Security Sea Line of Communication and competition over petroleum resources,” he said.
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping claims on some or all parts of the South China Sea. — Bernama