Preventing unexpected situations
What the world eagerly awaits is for our seas and our skies to be places governed by rules, laws, and established dispute resolution procedures.
The least desirable state of affairs is having to fear that coercion and threats will take the place of rules and laws and that unexpected situations will arise at arbitrary times and places.
I strongly hope that a truly effective Code of Conduct can be established in the South China Sea between ASEAN and China and that it can be achieved swiftly.
Japan and China have an agreement concluded in 2007 between then-Premier Wen Jiabao and myself, when I was serving as Prime Minister. That was a commitment we made to create a maritime and air communication mechanism in order to prevent unexpected situations between Japan and China.
Unfortunately, this has not led to the actual operation of such a mechanism. We do not welcome dangerous encounters by fighter aircraft and vessels at sea. What we must exchange are words. Should we not meet at the table, first exchanging smiles as we sit down to have discussions?
It is my firm belief that commencing the operation of this agreement between our two countries will lead to peace and stability of the region as a whole. |
