Mending of Ties between China and ROK is Good for Region

Posted by AsiaViews | Nov 6, 2017 | 0 |

China Daily

Oct 31, 2017

The improvement in relations between China and the Republic of Korea is good news not only for the two neighbors but also for the region, since it signals the two sides are taking a pragmatic approach to the larger picture of bilateral ties, which will have a significant bearing on both peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the forging of regional cooperation.

After the ROK stated on Monday that it is not considering any additional deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, and it will not participate in US defense networks or develop its security cooperation with Japan and the United States into a tripartite military alliance, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that the two sides have agreed to bring their relations back onto the normal track as soon as possible.

It was the decision by the previous administration in the ROK to deploy the United States’ THAAD anti-missile system in response to Pyongyang’s repeated reckless moves that put the freeze on relations, since China views the deployment as a threat to its security.

However, China and the ROK maintained communication regarding the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through diplomatic channels, and they have agreed to enhance their communication, including through military-to-military channels, in pursuit of their shared aim of achieving a peaceful resolution to the issue.

Since both countries are important stakeholders in peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, their restored rapport will help them better coordinate their stances in response to the deteriorating relations between the DPRK and the US that threaten to spark a military conflict.

And by showing their shared will to properly handle their differences over THAAD, the two neighbors can now revive their economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, which have borne the brunt of the downturn in bilateral ties over past months.

This will also enable them to better fulfill their responsibilities and contribute more to regional integration by making concerted efforts.

As regional economic powerhouses, China and the ROK, along with Japan, have been long-time cooperative partners and participants in the regional integration process led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and they are being looked upon to play a bigger role in regional development by other countries in the region.

The thaw in China-ROK ties will hopefully be a shot in the arm to efforts to forge regional solidarity and cooperation at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam, and the series of East Asia high-level meetings in Manila, the Philippines, next month.

(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2017-10/31/content_33948323.htm)

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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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Mending of Ties between China and ROK is Good for Region