The outcry could add further tensions during a summit of USA and Southeast Asian leaders in Laos over China’s reach into the South China Sea, where Beijing has already constructed artificial islands and other facilities that the West and allies fear could be used as a military foothold in the region.
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The Japanese government said on Wednesday it is ready to provide Vietnam with new patrol ships, in its latest step to boost the maritime law-enforcement capabilities of countries locked in territorial rows with China. It did not mention China by name.
In the short term, Glaser said she believed the risk of injury or death could be worse in civilian clashes than among navies patrolling the South China Sea, given the frequency and intensity of incidents in recent years. After all, it’s the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN and China relationship dialogue.
But the Philippines released images which it said showed Chinese ships in the area that were capable of dredging sand and other activities required to build an artificial island.
He also noted that history and the facts have repeatedly showed that the South China Sea can only be peaceful and stable so long as the regional countries themselves get hold of the key to fixing the problems. Any talks with China would be “within the framework of the positive ruling that favored the Philippines”.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
China was the first to enter into the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-east Asia; the first to express clear support for Asean centrality in regional cooperation; the first to establish strategic partnership with Asean; the first to publicly express willingness to enter into the South-east Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty with Asean; and the first to initiate negotiations on a Free Trade Area with Asean.
Beijing has rejected the ruling and continued its activities.
The ASEAN statement warned that further land reclamation could escalate tensions, and called for respect for United Nations’ maritime laws.
The Prime Minister, in his intervention at the 29th Asean Summit Meeting, said this had also been agreed upon by all Asean leaders.
On Wednesday, the Philippine government released what it says are surveillance pictures of Chinese coast guard ships and barges at disputed Scarborough shoal in the South China Sea.
“The situation concerning Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) is unchanged”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here, reacting to allegations by the Philippines.
Abella said the Philippines released the photographs to signal to China it is aware of what is happening near the shoal.
China said there had been no change to the situation around the shoal and it had not taken any new action there.
A Philippine official accompanying President Duterte said the government found it tough to explain why Filipino fishermen can not go back and fish in the area even after The Hague’s ruling.
Relations were severely strained under Duterte’s predecessor because of the conflict.
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Beijing this week insisted it had not started building at the shoal-a move that could lead to a military outpost just 230 kilometers or 140 miles from the main Philippine island of Luzon, where USA forces are stationed.
