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Advertorial: CSIS fights for East Asian maritime security through better understanding
(From left to right) Former Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium Arif Havas Oegroseno, Institute of World Economic and Politics Director CASS Xue Li, Executive Director of CSIS Rizal Sukma, Deputy Director General at Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Nguyen Nam Duong, University of Philippines Associate Professor Herman J
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(From left to right) Former Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium Arif Havas Oegroseno, Institute of World Economic and Politics Director CASS Xue Li, Executive Director of CSIS Rizal Sukma, Deputy Director General at Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Nguyen Nam Duong, University of Philippines Associate Professor Herman J. Kraft, and former Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Admiral Yoji Koda at the International Seminar on Maritime Security in East Asia, held on March 17 at CSIS office in Jakarta. The seminar discusses the latest maritime issues in East Asia.
The fundamental challenge for all East Asian countries is to ensure that peace and prosperity, which have characterized the region over the last four decades, continue to be the defining characteristics of the region.
The future of the seas in East Asia is central to the maintenance of peace and prosperity in the region. Indeed, the importance of the seas in East Asia has acquired a much greater degree of attention, and thus strategic significance, as a result of the changing nature of power relations in the region, especially among the major powers.
'If we look at the 21st century, we can see that the role of the seas in world affairs is becoming increasingly significant,' said Rizal Sukma, Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'Prospects such as economic and regional stability will depend on the ability of nations to manage maritime issues.'
There have been concerns that this strategic transformation will diminish the value of East Asia's seas as a regional public good, and transform them into a theater for rivalry between major powers defined more by the pursuit of national strategic interests.
According to Rizal, three factors are the driving forces in these concerns. First is competition to secure access to energy sources at sea. Second is the unresolved maritime-based territorial disputes that, if not managed well, could become a source of serious tension in the region. Third is the growing prospect for naval rivalry among major and regional powers.
In that context, countries in the region are faced with the task and challenge of ensuring good order at sea and prioritizing the use of peaceful means and international law to manage and resolve maritime disputes.
Creating an opportunity for regional thinkers, especially between East Asian scholars and policy-makers, to engage in research and dialogues on the issue would provide a platform to explore ideas on how to ensure the future of the seas as a common public good.
The international forum recently organized by the CSIS titled 'Maritime Security in East Asia', and 'The Future of the seas in East Asia: Forging a Common Maritime Future for ASEAN and Japan' is the title of the overall study that CSIS did, of which the seminar was part.
Held on March 17 in Jakarta, the forum featured a panel of distinguished scholars and political figures. Main speakers included Arif Havas Oegroseno, Former Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union; Shen Dingli, Vice Dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Fudan University, China; and Elena Atanassova-Cornelis, Lecturer in East Asian politics at Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
The objective of the seminar was to examine the future of maritime security in East Asia, with special reference to the management of maritime disputes in the region.
'We want to raise awareness of the dangers involving the future of the seas that we can't take for granted, especially because we are going to depend more and more on the sea for peace and prosperity in the region. We also want to take lessons from the two hot spots in the East Asian region, the South and East China seas,' Rizal said. 'Not in the context of what caused these conflicts, but frameworks for cooperation.'
Another goal was to find ways for ASEAN and Japan to push for a change from debates on conflict to cooperation. Japan's role in East Asian maritime security was a particular point of focus at the seminar.
'For Japan, the real significance lies in the South China sea. We heavily depend on the free use of the South China Sea. If for any reason the use of the sea is jeopardized, that will be a serious problem for Japan. So Japan wants a peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issues, including the territorial disputes,' said Yoji Koda, Former Commander in Chief of Japan's Self Defense Fleet, and one of the speakers at the March 17 event.
'We expect a lot from the role of Indonesia. Indonesia is the dispute-free nation, the honest third party. Indonesia is a big nation, the largest of coastal nations, and, other than China, the largest in population. The economy is growing very rapidly,' Koda added.
The seminar sought to find ways for Indonesia to facilitate cooperation and discussion between major powers Japan and China. 'That is the traditional role of Indonesia in facing regional conflicts. Indonesia cannot push for cooperation without common understanding of the issues being faced,' Rizal said. 'We want to build a new way of seeing this. With this new understanding, hopefully it can ease Indonesia into the role of a facilitator.'
A publication on the issue of East Asian maritime security was distributed at the March 17 international seminar, and is publicly available. Titled The Future of the seas in East Asia: Challenges and Opportunities, the book compiles essays discussing ways to address peacefully changes in power dynamics in the East Asian region and its seas.
Written by leading ASEAN and Japanese academics, this collection of seven in-depth essays seeks to forge a common understanding that the future of the seas will be shaped by the willingness and ability of all stakeholders to cooperate in all aspects. Topics cover a range of issues, such as maritime boundary disputes in the East and South China seas and Japan's rebalancing to Southeast Asia.
'Even though the problem might be in the South China Sea between China, Vietnam and the Philippines and so on, if there are any problems with them, then it'll affect all countries, not just in the region, but in the world, because 48 percent of global trade depends on the South China Sea, alongside energy supplies and so on. So Indonesia's role in this matter cannot be denied,' Rizal said.
Photos By JP/AWO
