ASEAN bloc fears progress of region could be disrupted if stability not maintained

ANKARA

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday expressed fears about disruption in the region's progress "if peace and stability in the region are not maintained."

This was conveyed during a joint summit among the leaders of the regional bloc, China, Japan and South Korea in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, which is the current chair of the ASEAN.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in his opening remarks, called upon the Asian heavyweights, China, Japan, and South Korea to "collectively maintain regional peace and stability by continuing to respect international law."

This is the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, part of the annual ASEAN summit meetings that started on Monday, with regional peace and political violence in junta-ruled Myanmar high on the agenda.

Stressing the need for creating new cooperation opportunities, with a focus on the development of a green economy, Widodo, however, observed that the goal will "inevitably" be disrupted if peace and stability in the region are not maintained.

"Therefore, I invite all of us to share the same feelings, to have the same awareness, to collectively maintain regional peace and stability by continuing to respect international law," he maintained.

In his remarks, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that the ASEAN Plus Three countries, and indeed all countries in Asia, share so many things in common.

"They share a common home, common interests, and common opportunities," Li was quoted as saying by Beijing-based Xinhua News.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo is hoping to promote "concrete" cooperation in various fields, including finance and food security.

Fukushima water release

The ASEAN Plus Three meeting was also likely to witness a heated debate on Japan's controversial release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

China, which vehemently opposes the release of wastewater, and has banned seafood imports from Japan, is likely to double down on its concerns.

The Japanese leader, on the other hand, is expected to insist on the safety of the water.

The two leaders are attending the first multilateral gathering since the water discharge into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima plant began on Aug. 24.

Along with South Korea, none of the 10 ASEAN member states has so far openly opposed the water discharge.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.