It is important for participating parties to cooperate and collaborate in discussing and managing challenges in the South China SeaJakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mahendra Siregar has highlighted the importance of cooperation and collaboration for managing challenges in the South China Sea (SCS) region.
"It is important for participating parties to cooperate and collaborate in discussing and managing challenges in the South China Sea," he said while opening the 30th South China Sea virtual workshop here on Thursday.
The challenges include climate change and the impact of the rise in sea levels, he added.
Thus, all parties must work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region, he affirmed.
Related news: RI raises issues affecting regional stability at ASEAN-China meeting
Meanwhile, acting head of the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, said that the workshop was an opportunity to develop mutually beneficial cooperation.
The habit of communication must continue to be developed to create space for finding solutions to common challenges in the South China Sea region, Faizasyah noted.
"After being temporarily stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the South China Sea Workshop is being held again," he said.
This year's workshop is the 30th since it was initiated in 1990, he noted.
Related news: Be wary of Chinese warships entering Indonesian waters: MP
The workshop held on 13-14 October, 2021 was attended by 67 participants from 11 nations in the South China Sea area—Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Chinese Taipei, and Vietnam.
The workshop was organized in a hybrid format by the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency, the Geospatial Information Agency, and the Center for Southeast Asian Regional Studies.
To mark 30 years of the workshop, its collaborative journey in the fields of climate change and the environment, science and technology, as well as economic and development cooperation was shared with participants.
The workshop was preceded by a Working Group Meeting which discussed the study of waves and sea-level rise and their impact on the coastal environment in the South China Sea.
Related news: Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport reopens for international flights
Related news: Airport operator to offer incentives for international flights in Bali
Translator: Azis Kurmala
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
