World Peace Discussed at Forum

Former French PM Dominique de Villepin gave a speech at the Third World Peace Forum on the regional security of the Middle East and Central Asia after the evacuation of the American troops.

Solution to Maritime Disputes

At a panel discussion on international cooperation for maritime security, Dr. Arvind Gupta, director general of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysises (IDSA) of India, named a few of the challenges to maritime security – climate change, terrorism, human and drug trafficking, piracy and illegal fishing. He also cited territorial disputes, a ramification of geopolitics, as a threat to peaceful development of the international society.

A decade ago China and 10 ASEAN members signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in which they agreed to solve maritime disputes through peaceful means, to exercise restraint and to abstain from any actions that may further complicate or escalate the situation. The signatories expressed the wish to reach a consensus on a code of conduct in the South China Sea to promote regional peace and stability.

Former Malaysian PM Datuk Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi believed that shelving disputes to give way to cooperation was the best solution to the South China Sea issue and cited ASEAN Plus Three cooperation – the 10 Southeast Asian nations plus China, Japan and South Korea – as of great significance to peace in East Asia.

Asked whether the Kuril Islands dispute, known as the Northern Territories dispute in Japan, could be a lesson in the South China Sea issue, Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov said, “This is still a sticking point between Russia and Japan. At first all our negotiations with Japan evolved around territory, depriving us of the chance of talks over other issues, such as economy and culture. After 10 years of negotiations, I can’t see any hope of a solution. We, therefore, should advance bilateral ties in other fields and try to foster a more benign environment by other means, such as trusting the following generation to come up with a solution.”

Such was the attitude of Chinese and Japanese leaders when the two countries resumed full diplomatic relations in 1972. “We need to remember and learn from the past,” said Yukio Hatoyama. “Japanese politicians should recognize historical facts and prevent the spat over the Diaoyu Islands from spawning bigger conflicts or escalating into military clashes. I think both parties should take appropriate approaches.”