Swiss offer to mediate in South China Sea dispute

Alleged on-going reclamation by China into Mischief Reef in the South China Sea on May 11 Keystone

Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter has said Switzerland is prepared to act as an intermediary in the South China Sea, where territory disputes are increasing tensions. 

“Switzerland is not exactly what you would call a maritime power. This is true despite the fact that the Swiss Alinghi sailing boat won the America’s Cup twice!” Burkhalter joked on Saturday in Singapore. 

“But while Switzerland is not a maritime power, it is a mediation power. As an impartial and credible actor, Switzerland facilitates dialogue reand builds bridges in many conflicts. It is home to Geneva, Europe’s hub for peace where numerous international talks to resolve differences and prevent or resolve conflict have taken place,” he said. 

“Moreover, Switzerland is an economic power. We have a strong interest in regional stability and safe shipping routes in the Asia Pacific. While Asia’s security challenges are for Asians to resolve, Switzerland stands ready to facilitate whenever its assistance should be requested.” 

Burkhalter was speaking at a round table at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forumExternal link in Singapore, addressing the issue of how to avoid an arms race in Asia. 

“Concerns about unilateral actions in the South China Sea have been growing lately. However, tensions have not yet reached levels where efforts to strengthen cooperative security would seem futile,” he said. 

“Now is the time to act. Now is the time to reassure. The multilateral schemes that have been created in the region in past years provide a basis to build upon.” 

Overlapping claims 

China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines have overlapping claims in the resource-rich South China Sea. Japan and China both claim islands that lie between them in the East China Sea. 

But earlier this week, Beijing was assertive about the disputes. In a policy document issued by the State Council, the country’s cabinet, China vowed to increase its “open seas protection”, switching from air defence to both offence and defence, and criticised neighbours who took “provocative actions” on its reefs and islands. 

On Friday the Pentagon confirmed reports that China had put mobile artillery at one of its reclaimed islands in the South China Sea. 

Japan’s defence minister said China and other parties in the dispute had to behave responsibly. 

“If we leave any unlawful situation unattended, order will soon turn to disorder, and peace and stability will collapse,” Gen Nakatani told the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum. “I hope and expect all the countries, including China, to behave as a responsible power.” 

Malaysia’s defence minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, urged all parties in the South China Sea dispute to exercise restraint or face potentially dangerous consequences. 

“This has the potential to escalate into one of the deadliest conflicts of our time, if not history,” he said. “Inflamed rhetoric does not do any nation any good.”