Joint Efforts Can Ease Tensions on Peninsula

Posted by AsiaViews | Dec 18, 2017 | 0 |

By Sun Ru*

China Daily

13 Dec 2017

Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in’s four-day visit to China from Wednesday will help allay bilateral concerns, and provide an occasion for the two sides to find ways to ease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Disregarding the strong condemnations from the international community, and the United States’ hint at using force against it, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has continued conducting missile tests, heightening the tensions on the peninsula. After Pyongyang tested “Hwasong-15”, an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov 29, claiming it could strike the US mainland, Washington seemed almost intent on waging a war on Pyongyang.

Of late, Washington has asked China to stop exporting oil to the DPRK, and called on other countries to impose stricter sanctions or cut off ties with Pyongyang. Also, the US and the ROK held a large-scale air force drill from Dec 4 to 8, which further infuriated the DPRK and worsened the already high tensions on the peninsula. If this tit-for-tat game between the two sides continues, it could spark a conflict, which would be to no country’s benefit.

Fortunately, Moon is making serious efforts to maintain peace on the peninsula and improve China-ROK relations. Although the DPRK seems keen on building nuclear weapons and strengthening its military, Moon has said that the ROK will not develop nuclear weapons and that he is against the US using force to “subdue” the DPRK.

Stressing that the Korean Peninsula cannot afford to have a war, he said he wanted to promote communication and multilateral cooperation among the ROK, Japan and China to build a “responsible Northeast Asian community” as part of China’s agreement with the ROK on multilateral talks and regional cooperation.

Besides, Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated on Saturday China’s firm stance that Washington, Pyongyang and other parties should stop indulging in activities that could further deteriorate the situation on the Peninsula.

These developments have created the right atmosphere for talks between Moon and Chinese officials.

Nevertheless, the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the ROK remains a sticking point in China-ROK ties. Bilateral relations eased after both sides agreed that Seoul would refrain from additional THAAD deployments and not participate in a Washington-led strategic missile defense system, and no ROK-US-Japan military alliance would be created.

The understanding between the two countries will help ease tensions in Northeast Asia, provided the US does not make any moves that could inflame the peninsula situation. The US turned down the DPRK’s offer, saying that no talks were possible unless Pyongyang abandoned its nuclear and missile programs. But when Pyongyang did not conduct a nuclear or missile test for more than 70 days since September, Washington, instead of appreciating the “lull”, sent three aircraft carriers in the waters off the Korean Peninsula on Nov 12 and put the DPRK back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism on Nov 20.

To deal with the complicated peninsula issue, China has proposed that the US stop large military drills in Northeast Asia in return for the DPRK stopping its nuclear tests, so that the two countries return to talks, which Washington has not paid heed to. The ROK, however, has agreed to cooperate with China to ensure the promotion of denuclearization and the process of establishing a peaceful mechanism on the peninsula continue side by side.

Beijing and Seoul should use Moon’s visit to China to rebuild their ties and deepen cooperation, which in turn will help break the vicious circle of military provocation and rivalry on the Korean Peninsula. A peaceful situation is urgently needed for not only China and the ROK, but also the other countries in Northeast Asia to work for mutual benefit.

*The author is a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201712/13/WS5a306928a3108bc8c672b0fb.html)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

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Joint Efforts Can Ease Tensions on Peninsula