inp.polri.go.id – Economic Director of Malaysia, Shahril Sufian Hamdan, encouraged Indonesia to lead Southeast Asian countries in maintaining security in the South China Sea. Shahril said Indonesia could do that when it became ASEAN Chair next year. According to him, Indonesia's role is crucial in dealing with the tensions between Southeast Asian countries and China in these waters. "Indonesia's position as Chair of ASEAN in 2023 is an opportunity to once again becoming an organization that guarantees its regional security," said Shahril at a meeting with the Indonesian mass media delegation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday (30/06/22). Shahril understands that Indonesia's position in the South China Sea dispute is different from that of other ASEAN countries. Indonesian waters, he said, are not directly adjacent to Chinese waters. However, he assessed that the South China Sea dispute is not a matter of one or two countries in Southeast Asia. According to him, all ASEAN countries need to unite in expressing a firm stance to China. "If ASEAN does not unite, the impact will not only be felt by one or two or five countries, but for the entire region, including Indonesia," he said. Shahril said that ASEAN was formed to prevent disputes among Southeast Asian countries. However, he said the challenges of today have changed. "ASEAN needs to evolve into an entity that maintains the security and common interests despite pressure from the outside," said Shahril. Previously, China claimed rights over the South China Sea. They stated that the waters in Southeast Asia are part of the nine dash line. Tensions with China have also been felt by Indonesia in recent times. The Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) revealed that there were thousands of foreign ships in their waters. Some of them come from China.