The delay is a sign of the divisions within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in dealing with China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, in particular Beijing’s recent construction of artificial islands in the waterway.
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Even before the land reclamations, China had sparked rising unease over the years with actions interpreted as seeking to shore up its disputed claims, in violation of a pledge not to upset the status quo.
“Let me be clear: The United States will not accept restrictions on freedom of navigation and over flight, or other lawful uses of the sea”, he said in Kuala Lumpur, after attending a summit dominated by the flashpoint issue. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
Arase said that if China decided to pursue a “balance of power” approach in the South China Sea issue, the United States will “change its strategy from engagement to China to probably lean toward stronger hedging”.
Turning to Tokyo, Wang told the forum that Japan had built up a remote island in the Pacific called Okinotori to enforce Japanese territorial claims.
“Being strategic partners, the views expressed by both the Philippines and Japan in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) regional forum reflect the two countries’ shared beliefs on the importance of maintaining open and stable seas”, said Malacanang’s Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
Chinese reclamation and building work on its islands in the South China Sea are to improve living conditions and provide facilities like light houses and weather stations, he added.
The other nations say they have yet to verify China’s claim that it has stopped reclamation.
ASEAN foreign ministers concluded their talks on Tuesday after rebuffing a request from China to leave the dispute off the agenda.
China was “entitled to defend its own sovereignty, rights and interests”, according to a report from Xinhua news agency in China.
“It is impossible not to have thoughts about it”, he said, after watching the commemorations in Japan on television.
Japanese media said Kishida told Wang that China should refrain from unilateral gas development in the East China Sea.
Each year the regional Asean bloc, which prides itself on its history of consensus diplomacy, releases a joint communique after the annual meeting of its foreign ministers, which took place last Tuesday.
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The statement said China’s land reclamation had “eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea“.
