DESPITE relative calm in recent years, the June 9 incident in the Recto Bank highlighted the continuing perils for fishers in the West Philippine Sea and how this affects relations between competing claimant states. Four important takeaways can be drawn from the incident — need for sobriety, due process, calibrated response and regional cooperation.
Territorial and maritime disputes are always difficult to resolve. This is especially so if there are more than two parties involved as is the case for the six-way South China Sea row. Hence, for longstanding flashpoints, it is not unusual for parties to settle for the less-ideal but nonetheless feasible and practical dispute management and functional cooperation tracks. This includes: 1) setting up mechanisms for communication and dialogue to address incidents should they surface; 2) regular confidence-building measures and joint exercises to build trust among frontline maritime actors and 3) concerted efforts in conserving regional maritime commons. In the South China Sea, progress, though much incipient, has been made on the first two, but much work remains to be done on the third.