Topic: South China Sea Dispute.
Country: The Republic of Singapore.
Delegation: Chan Sam Art, Thai Panhchaleak, Ny Rithyhelen.
The Republic of Singapore is deeply concerned over the ongoing South China Sea territorial dispute, which can lead to war between ASEAN member states and China. On the South China Sea maritime dispute, we do not take sides on the merits of the respective claims, because each country has its explanation and its reasons and its historical narrative of why it has a good claim, and its legal basis. Singapore’s economy depends heavily on trade. For that reason, the freedom of navigation is crucial, and the South China Sea is one of our four key trading sea lines of communications. We know that we will affected by the freedom of navigation. Hence, it is a very serious matter for us. Even if Singapore does not claim any part of the South China Sea, but as one of ASEAN member; our country seek to resolve this issue through peaceful means, in accordance with international laws, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Code of Conduct, Treaty of Amity of Cooperation, Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality, and other international instruments which serve as peace purpose. Our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that ‘’we have upheld a clear position and that is to ask all the parties to exercise self-restraint in order to keep region calm and avoid any mishaps’’.
South China Sea dispute is an argument over sovereignty and territory of the ocean land and two island chains, Paracel and the Spratly for centuries among the republic of China and many of the ASEAN states, namely Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines and Brunei1 . The South China Sea total area is 1.4 million square miles of ocean land and hundreds of small islands, atolls, rocks, and shoals with a cumulative land area of about six square miles.2 This area is full of resources, an unknown amount of oil and gas. These resources are difficult to develop and so