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Your letters: ASEAN vs. China over South China Sea
ASEAN anxiety over South China Sea disputes is a genuine geopolitical concern not only for the ASEAN region but also for peace and stability in the entire Asia-Pacific economic zone
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SEAN anxiety over South China Sea disputes is a genuine geopolitical concern not only for the ASEAN region but also for peace and stability in the entire Asia-Pacific economic zone. The aggressive stand of China threatening the territorial and maritime claims of several nations adjoining the South China Sea has been detrimental for international cooperation and an infringement of the sovereignty of smaller Asian neighbors.
Under the present circumstances, it is important for ASEAN to tie up with other major powers of the region, such as the US, Japan, Australia and India, for stronger strategic, diplomatic and defense cooperation.
The recent intervention of the US in the region should be welcomed and seen as an important counterbalance to severe security threats directed at several ASEAN member nations and attempts of undermining their territorial and maritime claims.
Furthermore, in addition to China, India has come up as another economic giant of the continent. The current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has initiated great enthusiasm in establishing strategic, diplomatic and socio-economic ties with several nations in the Far East and Southeast Asia.
The visit of Prime Minister Modi to Malaysia is a grand opportunity for ASEAN member states, including Malaysia, to set up stronger socio-economic and defense cooperation with India.
The Eastern Economic Corridor in India is under construction to connect the Indian subcontinent via the India-Bangladesh-Myanmar-Thailand land route to Southeast Asia.
Long-term strategic and economic cooperation between the SAARC and ASEAN economic zones could open up a new window of socio-economic, diplomatic and security cooperation between two vastly populated trade zones and can easily transform the economic destiny of the entire region, including Malaysia and fellow ASEAN member sates.
It will be a grand strategy for the ASEAN diplomatic conclave to even include India as a new member state to ASEAN to further strengthen engagement between the two major global economies and to counter the security threats in the South China Sea to ASEAN member states.
Saikat Kumar Basu
Lethbridge AB, Canada
