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ncreasing cooperation in the technical and scientific fields in the South China Sea (SCS) could create a more stable region and resolve disputes, Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir said on Saturday.

“We hope the cooperation between participating authorities in the technical and scientific fields, such as in marine databases, biodiversity and sea level changes, increases to create a more stable and favorable region, which is the main requirement in order to resolve disputes,” he said when opening the 28th workshop on Handling the Potential for Conflict in the South China Sea in Manado, North Sulawesi, over the weekend.

The annual workshop, held jointly by the ministry’s Policy Analysis and Development Agency (BPPK) and the Center for South East Asian Studies, aimed to strengthen cooperation to achieve concrete results in order to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the South China Sea.

Participants at the workshop included government officials and experts from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan in their personal capacities.

Fachir said participants could produce new concrete projects through the workshop.

“[When] a participant brings up a project, [it] can be followed by other [projects]. So cooperation is one of Indonesia’s ways to reduce potential conflicts,” he said.

“There are so many proposals for future cooperation and projects that are already ongoing. We also proposed projects related to plastic pollution in the sea.”

Issues on the South China Sea, he said, were often discussed at both the bilateral and multilateral levels to reduce tensions between countries with overlapping claims.

China, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and the Philippines all claim some or all of the South China Sea and its myriad of shoals, reefs and islands. Taiwan also has claims.

China has recently come under fire for continued activities in the disputed waters, including the construction of military bases and the deployment of military assets on man-made islands.

In August, ASEAN and China introduced a “single draft” that underpins all future negotiations for the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

The ASEAN-China dialogue has been used by both sides as a means to reduce tension and work toward the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea, which mandates the early conclusion of the COC.

Meanwhile, BPPK head Siswo Pramono said the purpose of the workshop was to build confidence and mutual trust.

“There is a simultaneous process in establishing the basis of mutual trust among the political elite and also in the community,” he said. (dis)