AZ | UPDATED SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 07:30 PM ET:- An emerging
geo-strategic conflict between China and Japan poses the biggest
economic risk for Asean nations, prominent British diplomat Lord
Paddy Ashdown believes.
Every year, US$5.3
trillion worth of goods, or around one-quarter of global merchandise
export trade, passes through the South China Sea.
U.S.-led trade
accounted for more than a quarter of this figure(US$1.2 trillion.)
The world’s
second- and third-largest economies respectively, China and Japan,
exported US$2.9 trillion (RM 11 trillion) worth of goods in 2013.
much of which was shipped through the South China Sea.
Conflict between the
China and Japan could bring to a standstill six of the world’s
largest ports, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global
Risks 2015 report.
It could also stop
flights from five of the world’s top 20 airports, which handle 8%
of all passenger traffic and 46 % of all air freight.
The importance of
the South China seas lies in its proximity to strategically important
shipping lanes, and significant fishing grounds and oil deposits.
Ashdown believes
building and maintaining good international relationships through
regional treaties are more efficient compared to agreements through
international institutions.
“That’s why the
Kyoto Protocol and the World Trade Organisation works, because the
government can agree on certain areas, although they don’t
subscribe to each other's political systems,” Paddy said, speaking at the
World Capital Markets Symposium in Kuala Lumpur today.
Disputes over
maritime sovereignty and territory have compounded the deficit in
multilateral governance in Asia.
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| Lord Paddy Ashdown is one of Britain's most prominent dilomats ( Pix credit) |
Asean member states
need to recognize the limits of Westphalian preconceptions of
maritime sovereignty, Ashdown said.
Strong nationalistic
and traumatic historical antagonism are linked by critical maritime
spaces that define the international trade and shipping routes.
Expanding existing
trade and traditional security agreements – such as ASEAN-based
dialogues and confidence and security building measures, have
inherent limits in accommodating imperatives specific to each country
and to the maritime context he said in this exclusive interview.
Mr. Ashdown said he
was optimistic about China's role as a global power, considering its
active multilateral actions under United Nations (UN).
“Not many are
aware the Chinese government is involved actively in securing the
Somalian maritime security zone and under the purview of UN, they
provide about 3,700 personnel.” Ashdown said.
Mr.Ashdown
was leader of the Liberal
Democrats from 1988 until August 1999, and Chair of the
Liberal Democrats' 2015
general election team.
Previously, ASEAN
and China agreed upon multilateral risk-reduction in the 2002
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC),
but neither have adhered to its provisions.
The declaration to
resolve territorial and jurisdictional disputes without resorting to
the threat or use of force have never been implemented.
The resumption of
negotiations between China and ASEAN after a decade-long hiatus holds
promise for reinvigorating cooperative activities under the DOC. ■
