The government's silence was in part about allowing the current president, Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono, to save some face on the highly sensitive issue of maritime sovereignty.
Of the 18 nations represented at the East Asia Summit, only the leaders of Cambodia and Myanmar did not raise the issue of maritime security as the presidents and prime ministers took turns speaking, the administration official said.
Quite apart from issues of maritime safety, a minor incident could swiftly escalate into military conflict.
The conference focused on maritime boundary delimitation, claims to the extended continental shelf, procedures and decisions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, military activities in the exclusive economic zone, piracy, fisheries management, marine protected areas, the rights of indigenous peoples, global climate change and other issues of maritime scientific research.
Several possible solutions to the legal and practical issues of maritime PSCs might in the future make the use of these companies more viable, legitimate, and even preferred.
Before his meetings in China, Kerry visited Laos, a landlocked, deeply impoverished country of 7 million people between Thailand and Vietnam, and Cambodia, which enjoys close economic ties with China and tends to side with Beijing on issues of maritime rights.
Kerry said he also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that they had a "constructive discussion". Before his meetings in China, Kerry visited Laos, a landlocked, deeply impoverished country of 7 million people between Thailand and Vietnam, and Cambodia, which enjoys close economic ties with China and tends to side with Beijing on issues of maritime rights.
Addressing domestic IUU fishing needs to be actioned as a high priority within the study area, as does the issue of patrolling maritime borders to deter illegal cross-border transhipment.
She currently covers clean energy development and environmental issues in the world of maritime cargo shipping.
Figures differ, but according to one report at least 100 Indian fishermen have been killed and 350 seriously injured in recent years — another example of the volatility of maritime issues in Asia.
The United States is therefore in no position to urge others to adhere to these rules, which will be crucial in reaching any settlement of maritime issues between China and its neighbors.
