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US seeks RI support in South China Sea
The United States is hoping that Indonesia can play a greater role in the peaceful resolution of South China Sea conflicts amid an increasingly heated dispute between Washington and Beijing
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T
he United States is hoping that Indonesia can play a greater role in the peaceful resolution of South China Sea conflicts amid an increasingly heated dispute between Washington and Beijing.
'We are supporting Indonesia's leadership in ASEAN in its negotiation with China in efforts to immediately complete the establishment of a code of conduct to manage tensions in the South China Sea,' US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Previously relations between Washington and Beijing were jolted after U.S.Navy commander Adm. Jonathan Greenert said that the US would help the Philippines in the event of conflict with China over disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Greenert's comments received a sharp rebuke from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, who said 'The U.S. is not a party concerned in the South China Sea dispute'. The US, Hua said, should honor its commitment to not taking sides on the territorial sovereignty issue.
In the context of the increasingly heated relations between China and the US, Kerry stressed that Indonesia had an important role in helping the enforcement of international maritime laws.
Speaking alongside Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa during the press conference, Kerry asked Jakarta to focus its political energy on accelerating progress toward achieving an agreement on a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
Kerry said the future of peace in this region depended on how quickly the South China Sea dispute could be resolved because if a peaceful resolution continued to be delayed, the potential for armed conflict would be greater.
Kerry said that during the past two years, the US had been concerned about violations of international maritime law conducted by Chinese authorities including the expulsion of fishermen from other countries in disputed waters. He said international maritime laws must be enforced and obeyed by all countries without exceptions. (ebf)
