"There has been always a joint statement by ASEAN member countries on South China Sea issue. We could not have issued a joint statement if we were not united in our position such as in the recent Sunnyland and Sochi meetings," Arrmanatha Nasir said in a weekly press meeting here on Thursday.
Nasir referred to ASEAN-U.S. summmit meeting in Sunnyland, California in February, ASEAN-Russia summit meeting in Sochi, Russia, in May 2016.
Asked to comment on the Philippines bringing the South China Sea issue to an international arbitration court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Nasir said Indonesia would first see the result.
"We could not see what would happen in the future, We have first to see the result of the PCA," he said.
The South China Sea issue is dispute about sovereignty over groups of small islands in the sea involving a number of ASEAN countries including the Philippines and Vietnam .
Indonesia has tended to be cautious not to offend either side of the conflicting countries.
Nasir said there are many other aspects to be considered in the ASEAN-China relations mainly in economic and trade relations.
"We have a target of Rp1 trillion trade and US$150 billion investment projects in 2020 and cooperation in education (with China)," he said.
He said the meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN-China in Kunming, Yunnan, In June 13-14 was not only on the Siuth China Sea dispute.
"The issue is much larger than South China Sea dispute," he said.
ASEAN and China will commemorate the 25th year of cooperation in September , 2016 to be marked with an ASESAN-China summit meeting to be held in Vientaine, Laos, to coincide with ASEAN summit meeting and summit meeting with other working partners.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
