Singapore, May 30 -- East Timor President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta on Saturday urged countries in the Asia-Pacific to consider declaring the South China Sea a "zone of peace," calling for a bold diplomatic initiative to reduce tensions in one of the world's most contested waterways.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore,organised by IISS, Ramos-Horta said an ongoing push to finalize a regional code of conduct was important but insufficient on its own to prevent escalation in the strategic sea, where China and several Southeast Asian states have competing territorial claims.
"Apart from the code of conduct that is being negotiated patiently by all sides, someone must have the audacity to de...