China wants sea code fast-tracked, concluded under PHL leadership — Wang Yi

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday said China wants to speed up negotiations for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea and have it finalized within the Philippines’ three-year term as dialogue coordinator between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations.

However, Wang, who concludes his two-day visit to the Philippines where he held talks with Philippine officials, was non-committal when asked if China would agree to a legally-binding code of conduct.

“Whether or not it is legally binding, any document we have signed we will strictly abide by it and firmly implement it,” Wang told a joint press conference with Philippine counterpart, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., in Davao City.

On August 3, China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which the Philippines and three other South China Sea claimants are members, announced agreement on a single draft South China Sea Code of Conduct negotiating text.

The draft, which will serve as the basis for negotiations of the code, is expected to propel China and ASEAN to reach agreement on a set of formal guidelines in the resource-rich waters as efforts to finalize the accord has dragged on for 16 years.

“We are ready to work with ASEAN countries to speed up code of conduct consultations. We also hope to conclude the consultation during the term of the Philippines as the country coordinator for ASEAN-China relations so that we can set up a set of regional norms to ensure peace and stability in the South China Sea,” said Wang.

The Philippines assumed the role of country coordinator in August this year and will lead the dialogue until 2021.

A regional code of conduct aims to prevent conflicting territorial claims in the vast potentially-oil rich region from erupting into violent confrontations or worse, an economically-devastating major conflict.

In place of a legally-binding code, China and ASEAN, which groups the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, settled for a mere declaration in 2002 that calls on claimants to exercise restraint and stop new occupation in the South China Sea.

But its non-binding nature and lack of provision to sanction misbehaving claimants, renders the accord useless against aggression.

Finalizing the code has acquired urgency due to series of confrontations between China and its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors with competing claims to the waters, like the Philippines and Vietnam. Other claimants are Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

ASEAN has long held the position that the code of conduct must be legally-binding, but China opposes this. It’s not clear how this basic difference will affect progress of future efforts by both sides to negotiate the code.

But Wang said China “is open-minded on what specific contents will be put into the text.”

“By that we welcome all constructed opinions within the framework of a single text that has been agreed. Through this way we could pull consensus as much as we can,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Locsin said if ASEAN and China fail to agree to a legally-binding document, the code would still be a significant regional document.

“Perhaps we may not be able to arrive at a legally binding COC, but it will be the standard on how the people of ASEAN, governments of ASEAN will behave towards each other. Always with honor, never with aggression and always for the mutual progress,” Locsin said.

As ASEAN and China aspire to expeditiously hammer out a code, Wang urged the regional bloc to be “vigilant” against intervention, “prevent interferences” and “disruptions” coming from “non-regional forces.”

Without naming any country, he said some forces are out to destabilize the situation in the South China Sea where he said tensions have deescalated in the last two years.

“Some non-regional countries are doing things completely counter to our efforts,” he said. “They never hesitated in stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, they have been showing off their force in these waters. We must further enhance our solidarity and work tighter to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.”

Defying China’s warnings to keep out of the disputes, US military vessels, in a direct challenge to what it calls Beijing’s excessive claims in the waters have repeatedly sailed within 12 nautical mile zones on features unilaterally expanded by China, drawing angry protests from the Beijing government. US planes have also flown over the Chinese-controlled areas.

China, which considers the sea disputes a purely Asian issue is opposed to any foreign intervention, particularly from the US.

“We will not leave any chance to be exploited by external forces,” Wang said.

Although the US is not a party to the disputes, it has repeatedly declared that it is in its national interest to ensure freedom of navigation, trade, peace and stability in the South China Sea, where a bulk of the world’s trade passes through. — RSJ, GMA News