Ex-DFA chief: PHL should lead ASEAN in taking stand vs. ‘illegal’ Chinese moves in South China Sea

Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Tuesday called on the Philippines to lead the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in taking a united stand against what he calls China’s “unlawful efforts to expand its footprint” throughout the disputed South China Sea.

Del Rosario said the ASEAN, which is currently led by the Philippines as this year’s host to more than 140 meetings in the country, should take a definitive and stronger stand on the issue due to the scale of China’s military buildup in seven of its newly-constructed artificial islands.

“While most states strive for a peaceful, rules-based regional order in Southeast Asia, Beijing’s unilateralism has put this common vision at grave risk,” Del Rosario said at a forum, held a day before the formal start of ASEAN meetings that will be capped by a leaders’ summit on Saturday.

“ASEAN must be united in countering this challenge to its regional centrality and solidarity. I believe that promoting the rule of law and strengthening multilateralism in support of the law must be key parts of ASEAN’s response,” he said.

This week’s ASEAN summit meetings in Manila are expected to spotlight the South China Sea disputes amid China's reported installation of missile defense systems in its newly-built islands in the Spratlys, specifically a proposal to finalize a framework for a long-delayed Code of Conduct.

The ASEAN marks an important milestone of celebrating half a century of its founding this year under the Philippines’ chairmanship and Del Rosario said this presents a good opportunity for the country to exert its influence on the 10-nation bloc and shine on the international stage.

Del Rosario said the Philippines, in setting the agenda for the meetings, should include discussions on the sea disputes and “utilize the principles” of an international arbitral decision which ruled heavily in its favor when it invalidated China’s massive claim in the South China Sea.

Doing this, he said, will move diplomatic engagement forward. 

“We should utilize our leadership to be able to uphold the rule of law. The leadership of the Philippine will lose a lot of influence if we pass up that opportunity,” he said.

Four ASEAN members - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam –have been locked in long-simmering territorial rifts in the South China Sea. China and Taiwan are also involved in the disputes, which have long been feared as Asia’s next potential flashpoint for a major armed conflict.

Other ASEAN members include Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Beijing insists ownership of nearly the whole of South China Sea, which is dotted by clusters of islands, cays, shoals and reefs with rich fishing areas. The vast sea is also believed to be abundant in oil and gas and is regarded as among the world’s most strategic and busiest waterways.

As ASEAN leaders descend on Manila this week, Victor Andres Manhit, analyst and president of Stratbase ADR Institute, said the best they can give “is a sign of unity on the future of Southeast Asia.”

“The whole of the region must  be united in speaking up about these challenges, not burying our heads in the sand,” Manhit said.

ASEAN has been criticized for failing to take stronger and rapid steps to ease the territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, of which some parts that fall under the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone has been renamed West Philippine Sea by Manila.

Its members have been divided in their political alliances between Asian powerhouse China and the United States, which tried to reassert influence in the region after years of preoccupation in the wars in the Middle East under the Obama presidency.

Although it has yet to unveil its new strategy towards Asia-Pacific under President Donald Trump, America still maintains an active military presence in the South China Sea to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight, which it is currently doing way beyond the end of Obama's term.

South China Sea claimants and ASEAN members, which seemed threatened by China’s assertiveness in disputed waters, would have to individually push ASEAN to somehow stand up to China.

But analysts said that without a solid alliance and a hardline leader like the Philippines, the prospects for an anti-China resistance this year under Manila’s chairmanship is not likely.

Since he assumed office in June, Duterte has taken steps to mend ties with China that considerably deteriorated during the time of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, who brought the territorial rifts to international arbitration in 2013.

As he praised China, Duterte was hostile to the US - Manila’s long-time treaty ally – as Washington criticized his violent war on drugs where thousands of suspects were killed without legal process.

On the other hand, relations between China and Philippines have vastly improved under Duterte, who has sought Chinese trade and economic aid while shelving long-running territorial disputes, including an arbitral tribunal case won by the country.

“Our region cannot promote the rule of law while ignoring the law as it stands,” Del Rosario said, adding that ASEAN must reject the notion that China’s build-up is a “fait accompli that renders us helpless.”

“It should be unthinkable for any diplomatic mechanism that we are part of – whether bilateral or multilateral – to be used as a channel to reward unilateral activity or preserve unlawful gains,” Del Rosario said. — RSJ, GMA News