REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy Foreign Minister of Indonesia Pahala Mansury invites other countries to develop a blue economy in the South China Sea. According to him, this could prevent the region from becoming a theater of war for superpowers.

“ASEAN has reaffirmed its commitment to regional cooperation in the development of the blue economy,” Pahala said at the Jakarta Geopolitical Forum 2024, Jakarta, Wednesday (25/9/2024).

Blue economic development in the South China Sea region, Pahala said, could be expanded by involving related countries such as China. According to him, the cooperation of blue economy development in the South China Sea region can help support the resilience of the supply chain and the growth of the industry.

There are three principles adopted in the ASEAN Blue Economic Development Framework: value-added, inclusive, and sustainability.

This framework, also based on the main strategies of ASEAN blue economy, namely Blue Conservation Management, Science, Technology and Innovation and Creation of Added Value in Priority Sectors.

Some of the potential that the South China Sea has, namely the strategic location of the South China Sea, is given its role as one of the world's most important shipping lanes, with one-third of global maritime traffic passing through the region.

Furthermore, he said, there is the potential of natural resources. The South China Sea accounts for 12 percent of the world's total fish catch and is estimated to hold about 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

The reward also highlights biodiversity in the South China Sea. There are more than 6,500 marine species in the region, comprising 22 percent of the world's fish species and one-third of the world's coral reef species.

“Thus, mutually beneficial cooperation, not infighting and competition, will be the main feature of the South China Sea,” Pahala said.

Pahala hopes that the sea does not become a separator, but becomes a link between islands, between peoples, between nations, and between countries. Thus, a spirit of interstate togetherness was born to realize peace and common well-being.

“It does not become an arena of competition, does not emphasize differences in geopolitical positions, does not result in divisions between nations and between countries, and does not become the next battlefield,” Pahala said.

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