France is proposing that European navies coordinate patrols in Asian waters to reinforce a rules-based maritime order as other countries including India and Canada flagged concern about rising tension in the South China Sea.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday, explained why the South China Sea dispute in Asia should also concern Europe and the rest of the world.

If the laws of the sea are not respected in this region, they could also be challenged in the Arctic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea, he said.

… Former Asean secretary-general Ong Keng Yong said the immediate challenge for Asean was to “bring down the temperature”.

Asean has unwittingly been forced into the ring with the US and China, he told The Straits Times. “We don’t want to get involved with any contestation between the two big powers… we are best served by staying on the ringside.”