Brumby
Major
To establish continued good relationship with Indonesia as well as the 4 claimants of their territorial waters in South China Sea, the long discussed Code of Conduct must be established soon without any ambiguity. Countries want Peace and Stability in South East Asia, and in Asia as a whole. Let common sense prevail without posturing by any big powers in our region.
Do you seriously think that the Code of Conduct will resolve the territorial claims between the countries? The underlying framework for resolution already exist within UNCLOS. The Code of conduct is just an attempt to preempt any actions that might start a war by accident.
The recent Natuna incident concerning historical fishing rights, the Vietnamese oil exploration issues within its EEZ and Malaysia's decision last December to its continental shelf by submitting a petition to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf are all governed by UNCLOS. How would a Code of conduct document resolve these issues?