Southeast Asia’s main grouping apparently failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea, intensifying a diplomatic stalemate that officials said they hope to resolve after closed-door parleys today.
Advertisement
A Laotian official told The Associated Press that Anifah “will not attend the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting this year, probably because of a tight schedule”.
Asean (the Association of South-East Asian Nations) is made up of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The statement called for more frequent meetings between China and Asean to speed up the pace for the adoption of a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a hotline to manage maritime emergencies and a joint statement on how to cope with unplanned encounters at sea to reduce potential risks. But before the meeting, China’s closest ASEAN ally Cambodia opposed the proposed wording, throwing the group into disarray.
Such statements have previously been issued, notably after an ASEAN-U.S. summit in California in February, and have led to criticism that ASEAN is becoming a toothless organization.
Kerry will urge ASEAN nations to explore diplomatic ways to ease tension over Asia’s biggest potential military flashpoint, a senior US official said ahead of his trip.
State broadcaster China Central Television aired video Sunday of a specialized Chinese air force South China Sea unit conducting coordinated exercises. These meetings are expected to focus on security, terrorism and other geopolitical issues.
The statement also neglected to reference a recent ruling by a Hague-based tribunal that said China had no historic claims to the territory.
The company’s larger competitor, China Mobile Communications Corp., already offers similar services.
Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the draft communique to be issued by the ministers left blank spaces under the heading “South China Sea”.
In the communique, the ministers said they “remain seriously concerned” over ongoing developments in the South China Sea.
It publicly thanked Cambodia for supporting its stance on maritime disputes.
China claims almost all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.
Washington says it takes no position on the territorial disputes but argues for free sea and air passage through what it considers global waters.
Most members of the bloc want to keep pressure on China over its campaign of island building in the strategic waters.
To ease tensions, China, the Philippines and possibly other claimants must define what the ruling means for fishing, offshore oil and gas exploration, and military and other activities.
Advertisement
The US on Monday called for “candour and openness” ahead of NSA-level talks with China here, the first such high-level political dialogue since an worldwide tribunal rejected Beijing’s expansive claims over the strategic South China Sea.
