M'sia Wants Situation In South China Seas Resolved In Fair Manner

LANGKAWI (Malaysia), Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia regards the situation in the South China Sea as one that needs to be resolved in a fair and equitable manner based on the principles of international law. The Defence Ministry, in a statement, said Malaysia considered China's agreement and participation in the implementation of the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) as an important contribution towards the process, and this should contribute towards a win-win situation for Asean and China. "We should work towards strengthening the mechanisms and architecture for amicable solution to alleviate any untoward incidents," the statement said. China’s commitment in organising the workshop on freedom and safety of navigation in Haikou next week was part and parcel of the mechanism for implementing the DOC, the ministry noted. It said that in line with these developments, it may not be necessary for extra-regional powers to become involved in the South China Sea dispute as Asean and China had their own mechanism to jointly address the issues. The statement came on the heels of the Air Chiefs Conference held at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre Thursday in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2011 (LIMA '11). The theme of the conference was "The Equilibrium at the South China Sea: Air and Space Perspective". -- BERNAMA