Proposal: New Asia treaty to curb conflict

In a visit to Washington, Indonesia’s foreign minister called for a new treaty spanning across Asia to help build trust, warning of the potential for conflict in the fast-changing region if tensions fester. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that a new treaty could help end “the all-too-familiar vicious cycle of tensions” in Asia and instead encourage confidence by bringing countries together in their goals. Natalegawa said an “Indo-Pacific-Wide Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation” would be along the model of the ASEAN bloc’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which bans the use of force in settling disputes in Southeast Asia. Several of China’s neighbors, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan, have accused Beijing of aggressive encroachment to exert territorial claims. 

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