From 24 to 26 June, 2024, Ambassador Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS) attended the Second China-ASEAN Defense Think Tank Exchange organized by of Academy of Military Sciences, Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Jinan University. Defense officials, regional scholars and experts were invited to discuss the central theme of Peace, Cooperation and Shared Future. He was tasked to share his view during the plenary session under the theme “Meet Each Other Halfway”: Creating a Peaceful Environment for Development and Prosperity. Below is the summary of his comments.
Creating a peaceful environment for development and prosperity require sustained commitment from all stakeholders where big and small nations must aspire to co-exist amicably through continued collaboration despites their historical differences, inherent level of their national development, the practices of their foreign policies, or how they intend to engage with one another in the pursue of their national interests. Unfortunately, the habits of cooperation among some of the major powers are not deep-rooted in some parts of the region.
To successfully preserve and enhance the peace and prosperity of the region, all powers must dispassionately willing to jointly address key challenges facing the region. All countries must manage power transition and prevent conflicts from happening. There is no ‘one side fit all approach’ to peace and security as the international system is remarkably diverse and complex whish require collaborative approach to common security issues. Security flashpoints must be managed to prevent misunderstanding and miscalculation that can undermine peace, security and prosperity of the region. Powerful nations should collectively uphold internationally recognized norms, principles and practices of peaceful coexistence which rest upon the abiding principles of the international rule of laws that encompasses the fundamental respect for peaceful settlement of disputes, the respect territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, and equality and mutual benefit.
As big power politics remain a reality where strategic landscape in the Indo-Pacific region is shaped by the escalation of tensions between the US and China, peaceful environment for development must be promoted to withstand US-China rivalry.
Countries in Southeast Asia prefers to see Washington D.C. and Beijing are working collaboratively together to dispel the notion of possibility of a new Cold War between the United States and China, and can come to term on a range of issues that both nations can break away from their relentless strategic competition.
The US and China, along with all other nations, should commit to building trust, respect one another, yearn to live with peace and harmony and foster a common security which stipulate that no one country can be secured without all other nations, groups, or individuals enjoying peace and stability at the same time.
The US and China can meet each other halfway through their co-existence for development by reinforcing their bilateral relationship through strategic framework, building better understanding and mutual trust through social, economic and political cooperation agreements, and pursuing a common rules-based international order that could warrant a peaceful, stable and prosperous global order.
Amb. Pou Sothirak’s full speech is available in this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XvHa1hxDWXEfOvMlHoVtkAegEElKE36h/view?usp=sharing
