Crucial for ASEAN to take stand on South China Sea disputes: PM Lee

BEIJING - Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said it is crucial for ASEAN to weigh in on territorial disputes in the South China Sea with a view of resolving them constructively.

He urged the regional grouping not to stay mum on the code of conduct for the South China Sea.

Speaking to the Singapore media at the end of his official visit to China, Mr Lee also underscored the need for Singapore to make clear its stand on the issue.

Singapore is pushing for ASEAN to start discussion and take a stand on a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

At the end of his week-long tour of China, Mr Lee said issues such as freedom of navigation and the need for stability in the South China Sea affect all ASEAN countries, not just those with competing territorial claims.

Mr Lee said: "Members will have disputes, but ASEAN has to take a stand and can take a neutral stand. It's like when the Thais have a dispute with Cambodia, ASEAN made a statement which didn't take sides with either Thailand or Cambodia. This was over the Preah Vihear temple, but ASEAN did have a view that it should be settled peacefully because otherwise it is going to do harm to ASEAN."

He called the South China Sea issue a "difficult dispute" and said Singapore has to speak constructively and encourage moderation on all sides.

Mr Lee said: "We can't speak for America, we should not speak for America, we should not speak for China. We have to speak from Singapore's perspective. The Chinese understand our position. It's not inimical to the Chinese view and it is not very different in many major elements with what China is trying to achieve, because China does not want to raise a temperature or to have a conflict either."

On Singapore's role in China's development, Mr Lee said the private sector is increasingly taking the lead, while the Singapore government plays a supporting role.

Bilateral relations have also moved from economics to cooperation in other areas such as tourism and traffic management.

Mr Lee said: "It's a big headache for all the Chinese cities, and you can see the traffic jams in Beijing. Where they have to, they don't auction but they have a kind of COE system and they hold a ballot every month and distribute the COEs. And I read just a couple of days ago that Guangzhou is also doing the same - partly balloting, partly auctioning off licence plates which mean COEs.

"So they see Singapore doing it, they adapt, they are looking at us not as the only way, but one example, and they find a solution which is workable and politically acceptable in China, and they move forward. We help them to map out one corner of the possibilities for new policies."

China is also interested in Singapore's social management and in building a harmonious society.

Mr Lee said that that is an area that Singapore is still grappling with especially in getting the young to develop a sense of community purpose and belonging beyond themselves and their families. CHANNEL NEWSASIA

Sourced: todayonline