East Timor FM Freitas: UNCLOS legal foundation for resolving maritime conflicts

East Timor Foreign Minister Bendito Freitas on Wednesday said his country, set to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this month as its 11th member, supports a United Nations convention in resolving maritime conflicts amid tensions in the South China Sea between China and some members of the regional bloc.

“We reiterate commitments to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the legal foundation for resolving maritime disputes,” said Freitas, who is in Manila for an official visit.

East Timor, officially known as Timor Leste, will be joining the Philippines and nine other countries in the ASEAN, a regional grouping which advocates for rule of law and regional peace.

Timor Leste, Asia’s youngest country, also said it supports the immediate conclusion of a “comprehensive and effective” code of conduct in the South China Sea, which aims to set some rules to prevent the disputes from escalating into a major armed conflict that could involve the United States, an ally of the Philippines, and other Asian countries at odds with China.

“The government calls for self-restraint, de-escalation, and peaceful dialogue; rejecting actions that could heighten tensions and all militarizations in the Indo-Pacific,” Freitas said.

During their meeting, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she conveyed to Freitas the challenges that the Philippines faces in the West Philippine Sea, that part of the South China Sea that is nearest to the Philippines' archipelago.

Lazaro welcomed Freitas’ statements, saying it is “important to highlight how our two countries affirm a shared commitment to uphold international law.”

The compulsory dispute settlement mechanisms under UNCLOS, said Lazaro, is crucial in peacefully resolving respective maritime disputes.

Freitas assured that Timor-Leste supports ASEAN's efforts to promote peace, stability, and freedom of navigation in the region.

Four ASEAN member states - Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei - are involved in the long-unresolved territorial disputes. China and Taiwan have similar claims virtually in the entire sea body, which is an important passageway.

The Philippines will assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year. Conflicts between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy personnel and ships have particularly flared under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has considerably strengthened the country’s alliance and military and defense ties with the US.

China’s actions have also raised concerns elsewhere in the region. Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia have tried to push back Chinese fishing fleets backed by the Chinese Coast Guard in their Exclusive Economic Zones. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News