ASEAN takes tougher stance on South China Sea

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations took a tougher stance on the South China Sea issue, expressing concerns about the land reclamations in the disputed waters and calling for "non-militarization and self-restraint."

Released Sunday evening, a day after the 10-member regional bloc concluded its annual ministerial meeting in Manila, ASEAN's final joint communiqué was markedly stronger than what the bloc’s leaders issued last April, when they skirted controversial issues after pressure from China.

Risking China’s ire, ASEAN noted its concerns about “the land reclamations and activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.”

It said that such actions “could further complicate the situation and escalate tensions in the South China Sea.”

Read the joint communiqué in full here.

It also emphasized the importance of “non-militarization and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities by claimants and all other states,” including those mentioned in a non-binding non-aggression pact, called the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC.

ASEAN did not name China in the statement, but the Asian superpower has been criticized for turning several formerly submerged reefs into artificial islands and for its reported installation of missile defense systems on the islands.

ASEAN’s joint ministerial statement was similar to the communiqués issued in the meetings in Laos last year.

Comparably, the Chairman's Statement released by President Rodrigo Duterte in April in behalf of the other ASEAN heads of state was less hostile than similar statements issued by Laos, a known ally of China, when it chaired the 10-nation grouping in 2016. Manila currently holds the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

The less hostile tone of the draft communiqué reflects Duterte's friendly attitude toward China, which he has visited twice since he assumed the presidency in June last year. The government credited these high-profile visits for multi-billion-dollar investment and infrastructure financing pledges from Beijing.

Under Duterte's predecessor, President Benigno Aquino III, relations between China and the Philippines turned sour over the territorial disputes. The Aquino administration filed the arbitration case against China a year after Chinese Coast Guard ships took control of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in 2012.

Like in the Laos statement, Sunday’s ministerial communiqué made an indirect reference to the Philippines’ arbitration victory before an international tribunal, which invalidated China’s massive claim in the South China Sea.

However, the reference to the arbitration ruling where ministers were supposed to call for “full respect for legal and diplomatic processes” was also omitted from the South China Sea section and moved to another, where it can’t be linked to the disputes.

China, which does not recognize the ruling, has opposed any mention of the Philippines’ arbitration case in any ASEAN statement. China is not a member of the ASEAN, but one of the bloc’s dialogue partners.

While ASEAN took a tougher stance on the sea disputes, the communiqué also highlighted progress in efforts to negotiate a Code of Conduct to prevent fighting in the disputed waters.

They also underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the DOC in its entirety as it “warmly welcomed the improving cooperation between ASEAN and China.”

Ministers said they are encouraged by the conclusion and adoption of the framework of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which will facilitate the work for the conclusion of an effective code of conduct “on a mutually-agreed timeline.”

“In view of this positive momentum, we reaffirmed our readiness to begin the substantive negotiation on the COC and tasked our Senior Officials to start the negotiation on the COC with China,” it said.

They also recognized “the benefits that would be gained from having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity.”

Before such a regional code of conduct is concluded, the ministers “stressed the importance of undertaking confidence building and preventive measures to enhance, among others, trust and confidence amongst parties.”

Likewise, they welcomed the successful testing of a hotline system that manages maritime emergencies in the South China Sea and looks forward to the full implementation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) in the South China Sea.

“These are practical measures that could reduce tensions, and the risks of accidents, misunderstandings and miscalculation,” the ASEAN statement said. — BM, GMA News