As foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries gather in Phnom Penh,
they should be wary of letting the South China Sea issue distract their
primary focus of advancing regional cooperation.
Marking the 15th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three (APT) cooperation, the 2012 ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting should work on the blueprint for APT cooperation, a dynamic and productive cooperation mechanism in East Asia.
Thus, all sides need to use the opportunity to further enhance and expand cooperation to give full play the role of the mechanism as the main vehicle of East Asia cooperation and to make greater contribution to regional stability, development and prosperity, which also correspond to the theme of the 2012 ASEAN summit, namely "One Community, One Destiny."
Marking the 15th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three (APT) cooperation, the 2012 ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting should work on the blueprint for APT cooperation, a dynamic and productive cooperation mechanism in East Asia.
Thus, all sides need to use the opportunity to further enhance and expand cooperation to give full play the role of the mechanism as the main vehicle of East Asia cooperation and to make greater contribution to regional stability, development and prosperity, which also correspond to the theme of the 2012 ASEAN summit, namely "One Community, One Destiny."
