China needs to cooperate over South China Sea: Surakiart

China is at loggerheads with several Asean members, notably the Philippines and Vietnam, over the South China Sea. While there are no clear solutions to the problems, Beijing holds a strong influence over many members of Asean. 
“Asean is important to China because the partnership embodies local Asian values, promotes pragmatism and compromise, and the avoidance of confrontation through informal cooperation,” he said. 
The global increase in isolationist and protectionist policies provides a great challenge to Asean countries. With the US pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade scheme, this atmosphere of uncertainty is inciting the need for a strategic partnership between Asean and China to move forward, Surakiart explained. 
The former foreign minister was speaking at a seminar held yesterday by the Saranrom Institute of Foreign Affairs (SIFA) in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy.
“It is important for China and Asean to understand that the United States will not play a large role in the issue of the South China Sea,” Dr Chulacheeb Chinwanno, a professor at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science, said at the seminar. 
The recent results of the US election, the rise of conservative values and protectionism have prompted questions of whether the United States will continue getting involved in the prevention of conflicts related to the maritime dispute. This brings uncertainty to the Asean-China relationship, the professor said. 
Emphasising on the importance of demilitarisation in the South China Sea, Chulacheeb said that peaceful cooperation and communication between Asean countries and China was necessary to create a “zone of peace” and ease the strain. 
Asean-China cooperation is imperative to finding a resolution for the maritime disputes in order to strengthen safety and security, promote peace in the region and solidify trust within the alliance, he said.