“If the plans of ASEAN countries are not harmonized, the impact will not only be on one or two or five countries, but for the entire region, including Indonesia,” he said.
He said that although ASEAN was established to prevent disputes among member countries, the interest to maintain mutual security from pressure of countries outside ASEAN is no less important.
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China has claimed a vast swath of the SCS through its unilaterally-drawn “nine-dash line.” Indonesia has experienced increasing tensions with China in recent times. (un)