ถ้อยแถลงปลัดกระทรวงการต่างประเทศในการประชุมเจ้าหน้าที่อาวุโสอาเซียน-จีนว่าด้วยการปฏิบัติตามปฏิญญาว่าด้วยการปฏิบัติของภาคีในทะเลจีนใต้ ครั้งที่ ๗ และการประชุมเจ้าหน้าที่อาวุโสอาเซียน-จีน ครั้งที่ ๒๐ โรงแรมดุสิตธานี พัทยา
Opening Remarks
by
H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand
Co-Chair of the 7th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting
on the Implementation of the DOC
21 April 2014, Pattaya City, Thailand
First of all, on behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to His Excellency Vice Minister Liu and to the members of his delegation.
Thailand is very pleased to have this opportunity to host the 7th SOM on DOC. We hope that the tranquillity of the seas here in Pattaya will give us the right setting for our discussion today.
I can say, on behalf of my ASEAN colleagues, that we cannot emphasize enough the importance of our meetings today and tomorrow.
I think we are here sharing the same objectives. We are committed to the full and effective implementation of the DOC and we are committed to moving forward our official consultations on the COC.
This is because peace and stability in the South China Sea is important to the overall peace and stability in the region.
We recall that since our last meeting in Suzhou, we have made very significant progress.
We agreed in Suzhou that SOM will be the main vehicle for discussions on the COC.
We shared the view that the implementation of the DOC and the consultations on the COC can proceed in tandem.
We assigned the Joint Working Group (JWG) to assist SOM on the consultations on the COC.
We believed that we can and should proceed on the basis of working on the commonalities, drawing upon existing documents that have been agreed upon between ASEAN and China.
And finally, we agreed to report the progress of our work to the PMC and subsequently to the Summit.
Since our meeting in Suzhou, I think we have made further progress.
We just had the meeting of the Joint Working Group in Singapore. At that meeting, a number of important cooperative activities were initiated, such as joint exercises on search and rescue, disaster relief, and the establishment of a hotline of communication.
On the ASEAN side, we believe that we must proceed with the implementation of these cooperative activities and projects.
Here in Pattaya, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we keep up the momentum we have achieved, continue progress, and more importantly give clear-cut guidance on the way forward.
On the part of ASEAN, we look forward to the early conclusion of the COC and the full and effective implementation of the DOC.
But of course, we are also realistic enough to realise that there are a number of issues that we have to address, but still we must begin substantive discussions on the COC.
We believe that in this process, we must be guided by clear objectives of what the COC is all about and we talked about this at our last meeting.
First, the COC is about promoting mutual confidence and trust.
Second, the COC is about avoiding incidents at sea.
Third, the COC is about managing incidents should they occur.
At the same time, as we work on the COC, it is important for us to implement measures that we have already agreed under the DOC to enhance mutual trust and confidence and create a conducive environment.
To expedite our consultations, we also think that it is important to put in place a clear-cut timetable and programme of work.
So these are our hopes and expectations for this meeting.
We are also expected to be able to report the progress of our work to the PMC and the Summit later this year.
I want to assure you that we look forward to working closely with you and colleagues to ensure fruitful and successful outcomes for the meeting today.
Thank you very much.
Opening Remarks by H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand
Co-Chair of the 20th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Consultation
22 April 2014
Pattaya City, Thailand
Good morning and welcome all distinguished colleagues to the 20th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Consultation.
I would in particular like to extend my warmest welcome to Vice Minister Liu and members of his delegation to Thailand and to Pattaya.
It is a distinct privilege to have the opportunity to co-chair this meeting with Vice Minister Liu.
Our meeting today is an important one because it is being held after ASEAN and China celebrated the 10th anniversary of our strategic partnership last year.
We should therefore strive to carry forward the commitments and implement the agreements that our Leaders made during the ASEAN-China Summit in Brunei last year.
We should use this opportunity to set the direction for our future cooperation and elevate our relationship onto a higher plane as we enter the second decade of strategic partnership.
On our part, ASEAN very much welcomes statements made by the current Chinese leadership, particularly Prime Minister Li Keqiang, affirming that ASEAN has always been a top priority in China’s foreign policy and that ASEAN is an important partner for China in the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
For ASEAN too, China has always been a natural and major partner, bilaterally, regionally and internationally.
In setting the direction for the future, I wish to highlight the following points:
First, we should ensure that the ASEAN-China partnership continues to be forward-looking. We should work together to keep exploring new opportunities and strengthen our cooperation in mutually beneficial areas.
This meeting will be a good opportunity for us to discuss many important proposals made by China during last year’s Summit, all of which reflect the importance China attaches to ASEAN.
Second, we should ensure that this partnership will continue to be relevant in the context of the changing strategic landscape and the new challenges that confront us in the region.
We welcome the emergence of China as a major power committed to the promotion of the peace, stability and prosperity of this region and beyond.
We welcome the ongoing reforms being undertaken by the Chinese Government which will open up new opportunities for regional growth and development.
We also welcome the commitment by China to support ASEAN Centrality. And we believe that a strong, proactive and cohesive ASEAN will certainly benefit China and provide the anchor for regional peace and stability.
Together, our partnership provides a strong pillar for regional peace and prosperity and will become even more important in the years ahead.
Third, as ours is a mature partnership, we should have confidence in our ability to manage any challenges or differences that may arise from time to time.
The success of our meeting yesterday on the issue of the South China Sea reflects our common determination to always keep in mind the bigger picture and manage whatever issues that should emerge between us in a way that will not allow any one issue to define the broader relationship between ASEAN and China.
Our partnership is deeply-rooted, multi-faceted and dynamic, as evident in the wide range of issues on our agenda that we will be taking up today. I am confident that we will have a very productive and successful meeting today.
I now give the floor to my Co-chair, His Excellency Vice Minister Liu Zhenmin of China, to deliver his opening remarks.
--กองการสื่อมวลชน กรมสารนิเทศ กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ--