Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN calls for peaceful settlement of territorial disputes in the SCS

Exclusive interview with Dr. AKP Mochtan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN (Part 2)

Dr. AKP Mochtan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, said it takes time to settle territorial disputes in the South China Sea since these issues relate to sovereignty. The point is how do you arrive at an amicable, peaceful settlement. He stressed that the overlapping claims should be settled by the countries concerned.

During his visit to People’s Daily headquarters in Beijing, the senior ASEAN official conducted an exclusive interview with People’s Daily Online on Tuesday.

Dr. Mochtan quoted an old saying during his interview that “a close neighbor sometimes is more important than a distant relative” as he addressing the territorial disputes issue. Therefore, instead of conflicting, Dr. Mochtan suggested that countries in the Southeast Asian region have all the reasons to improve their relationships with China.

As it is inevitable that a lot of countries in the world have border issues with neighbors occasionally, Dr. Mochtan expressed his sincere hope for peaceful settlements and amicable solutions on the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. “For that, this will be for those countries concerned to discuss, to negotiate, to settle with China,” he added.

“What ASEAN concerns is actually the stability, the security of the region. But let’s also be clear when we are talking about the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or Code of Conduct, these are not meant to be the instruments to settle the overlapping claims.”

“So I leave that to the countries concerned to address the issues and with the hope it will be pursued in a peaceful manner and arriving at an amicable solution.”

Dr. Mochtan said Connectivity is the major notion ASEAN has adhered to. By connecting countries in the Southeast Asia and provide more benefits for the people is the main concern of ASEAN.

Dr. Mochtan is confident that border issues would not affect the big picture of the ASEAN-China cooperation since he believes China and ASEAN have more opportunities than challenges. Territorial disputes between countries is only one of the challenges, and how to manage the challenges and make full use of the opportunities to benefit the people would be the most important thing to work hard for. 

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