10-01-2003, 06:26 AM
China, India and possibly Russia to sign non-aggression pact with ASEAN
[url="http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030929014856.yxg7f27e.html"]http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030929014856....6.yxg7f27e.html[/url]
Nuclear powers China and India and possibly Russia are to sign a non-aggression pact with Southeast Asia, laying the ground for managing potential conflicts in the region, ASEAN officials say.
They will be the first foreign powers to adhere to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) at the leaders meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia's Bali resort next week.
"Right now, only China and India are sure to accede to the Treaty while Russia, which also wants to sign up, is awaiting approval from its parliament," ASEAN spokesman M.C. Abad told AFP.
The United States, which is stamping its influence on the region through its fight against terrorism, is unlikely to follow suit as its activities may be constrained by the treaty, analysts say.
Sundram Pushpanathan, ASEAN's head of external relations, said that by signing up to the TAC, "China and India will come into the inner circle of ASEAN," grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
"This reflects the high level of commitment by China and India to the peace and security of the region and it will pave the way for greater engagements by them in regional political and security matters," he said.
One of the most important principles of TAC, adopted in 1976 by the core Southeast Asian countries worried then by the rise of communism, is the renunciation of the threat of use of force.
The other key principles are respect among member nations for their sovereignity and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Under the TAC, a so-called High Council is in charge of resolving conflicts among signatories bound by a code of conduct in inter-state relations.
"The council, composed of representatives of all the contracting parties at the ministerial level, will take cognizance of disputes likely to disturb peace in the region," Abad said.
"It can also constitute itself as a process for mediation and recommend measures to the parties in dispute," he said.
But the council has not been convened since TAC came into force.
Indonesia, the current chairman of the ASEAN standing committee, the grouping's policy-making body, may propose to give the council more teeth as an efficient dispute-resolving mechanism.
China, which has overlapping claims over the Spratly islands in the South China Sea with some ASEAN states, particularly may want to test the effectiveness of the TAC in resolving disputes.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan claim the Spratly Islands, a potentially oil-rich archipelago.
The ASEAN states last year signed a treaty with China aimed at preventing an escalation of tensions over the Spratlys.
Vietnam and China have clashed twice over the Spratlys, in 1988 and 1992, while skirmishes have also occurred between other countries, threatening to undermine regional security.
But ASEAN officials said China's accession to TAC should be seen in a larger context.
"Maybe for China's case, it is a demonstration of their commitment to abide by the rules of international relations which should be seen in the global text -- for example their accession to the WTO (World Trade Organisation) is one of their biggest expression of that readiness and signing on to the TAC will be another," Abad said.
In fact, he said, ASEAN wanted all its dialogue partners, including the United States, to accede to the TAC.
China and India are also members of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the top regional security umbrella which brings in all the big powers -- the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Union and India -- to discuss security issues, including counter-terrorism.
Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, the director-general of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia, said the United States was unlikely to adhere to the TAC.
"Not only in Southeast Asia but elsewhere, the United States is very hegemonic in its approach and it wants to have freedom to do this and that.
"So perhaps it feels that submitting to such rules in the region ties its hands up," he said.
[url="http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030929014856.yxg7f27e.html"]http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030929014856....6.yxg7f27e.html[/url]
Nuclear powers China and India and possibly Russia are to sign a non-aggression pact with Southeast Asia, laying the ground for managing potential conflicts in the region, ASEAN officials say.
They will be the first foreign powers to adhere to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) at the leaders meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia's Bali resort next week.
"Right now, only China and India are sure to accede to the Treaty while Russia, which also wants to sign up, is awaiting approval from its parliament," ASEAN spokesman M.C. Abad told AFP.
The United States, which is stamping its influence on the region through its fight against terrorism, is unlikely to follow suit as its activities may be constrained by the treaty, analysts say.
Sundram Pushpanathan, ASEAN's head of external relations, said that by signing up to the TAC, "China and India will come into the inner circle of ASEAN," grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
"This reflects the high level of commitment by China and India to the peace and security of the region and it will pave the way for greater engagements by them in regional political and security matters," he said.
One of the most important principles of TAC, adopted in 1976 by the core Southeast Asian countries worried then by the rise of communism, is the renunciation of the threat of use of force.
The other key principles are respect among member nations for their sovereignity and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Under the TAC, a so-called High Council is in charge of resolving conflicts among signatories bound by a code of conduct in inter-state relations.
"The council, composed of representatives of all the contracting parties at the ministerial level, will take cognizance of disputes likely to disturb peace in the region," Abad said.
"It can also constitute itself as a process for mediation and recommend measures to the parties in dispute," he said.
But the council has not been convened since TAC came into force.
Indonesia, the current chairman of the ASEAN standing committee, the grouping's policy-making body, may propose to give the council more teeth as an efficient dispute-resolving mechanism.
China, which has overlapping claims over the Spratly islands in the South China Sea with some ASEAN states, particularly may want to test the effectiveness of the TAC in resolving disputes.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as China and Taiwan claim the Spratly Islands, a potentially oil-rich archipelago.
The ASEAN states last year signed a treaty with China aimed at preventing an escalation of tensions over the Spratlys.
Vietnam and China have clashed twice over the Spratlys, in 1988 and 1992, while skirmishes have also occurred between other countries, threatening to undermine regional security.
But ASEAN officials said China's accession to TAC should be seen in a larger context.
"Maybe for China's case, it is a demonstration of their commitment to abide by the rules of international relations which should be seen in the global text -- for example their accession to the WTO (World Trade Organisation) is one of their biggest expression of that readiness and signing on to the TAC will be another," Abad said.
In fact, he said, ASEAN wanted all its dialogue partners, including the United States, to accede to the TAC.
China and India are also members of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the top regional security umbrella which brings in all the big powers -- the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Union and India -- to discuss security issues, including counter-terrorism.
Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, the director-general of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia, said the United States was unlikely to adhere to the TAC.
"Not only in Southeast Asia but elsewhere, the United States is very hegemonic in its approach and it wants to have freedom to do this and that.
"So perhaps it feels that submitting to such rules in the region ties its hands up," he said.