VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Defense Ministers of ASEAN member countries held a meeting in Singapore, 5-7 February 2018. Unfortunately, the expected result of the settlement of code of conduct with China in the South China Sea is still not reached. In a statement after the meeting, Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday (7/2) admitted that a year's deadline to complete is unrealistic. Complex issues in the South China Sea issue have not yet been settled. Last year, ASEAN and China adopted a draft framework of code of conduct in the South China Sea region. China agreed to start talks with ASEAN member states claiming the South China Sea. This year the binding and approved code of conduct with the People's Republic of China have become the goal of ASEAN claimant countries. But the results are still not as expected. Why do they want this code of conduct to be realized immediately? Some think China does not respect the sovereignty of countries in the South China Sea region. However, the PRC through a foreign ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang said, Beijing has been working with ASEAN countries to develop a code of conduct that can satisfy all parties. On the other hand, ASEAN through Foreign Minister Vivian Balakhrisnan from Singapore, which is chair of ASEAN this year, expressed the ASEAN ministers' concerns over the increase of China's activities on artificial islands in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Indonesia has its own concept related to the Indo-Pacific region which also includes the South China Sea. Hopefully, the code of conduct designed by ASEAN and China can be finalized soon, so that conflicts in the South China Sea region can be ended. This process should be done comprehensively so that the parties can accept this code of conduct with an open heart.