THE Philippines and Vietnam have pledged to work for the adoption by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of a legally binding Code of Conduct amid massive reclamation activities by China in the disputed territories in the South China Sea, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Monday.
Coloma issued the statement following a meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyan Tan Dung Sunday night.
The Philippines and Vietnam are just two of several countries in the ASEAN with claims on exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea that are at odds with Beijing’s nine-dash line policy, Coloma said.
Aquino and Tan Dung spoke to each other before a gala dinner hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in honor of the visiting heads of state and government for the 26th ASEAN Summit.
Coloma said both Aquino and Tan Dung expressed concern over China’s aggressiveness in reclaiming uninhabited islands in the disputed waters, which violates a provision stated under the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which China signed.
“The two leaders expressed concern over the reclamation activities undertaken by China that clearly indicate violation of the DOC provision against inhabiting previously uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features, even as they compared notes on incidents of harassment that add to tension in the South China Sea,” Coloma said in a statement emailed from Malaysia to the Malacanang Press Corps.
Coloma said having a legally binding COC will effectively implement the declaration made by ASEAN countries and China on the exercise of self-restraint in order to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and stability in the region.
The Southeast Asian leaders gathered Monday for the opening ceremony of the 26th ASEAN summit, with Malaysia’s Najib declaring that 2015 would be an important milestone in the regional bloc’s history.
The leaders convened to discuss the progress made towards establishing the ASEAN Community by the end of the year, and the association’s post-2015 vision, external relations and future direction.
Established in August 1967, the ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The association’s highest policy-making body and its chairmanship is rotated alphabetically among the member states every year.
Aquino on Monday called on his fellow Southeast Asian leaders to synchronize their regional and national priorities in line with the implementation of the One Community concept of regional integration in 2015.
Coloma said Aquino reiterated the Philippines’ call for the ASEAN to take a common stand to protect freedom of navigation and commerce in the South China Sea, especially in light of China’s recent massive reclamation activities in disputed territories, which pose a threat to the region’s security and peace.
“He (President Aquino) said that ASEAN centrality should now be clearly demonstrated by expeditiously concluding a legally binding Code of Conduct with China that would implement the salient provisions of the declaration made in 2012 by China and ASEAN member countries with claims to maritime entitlements in the South China Sea,” Coloma said.
China’s reclamation activities “are direct violations of the DOC (Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) and the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)” and “cause irreparable loss and damage to the marine environment, threatening the livelihood of people living in the coastal communities,” Aquino told the ASEAN leaders.
While Malaysia does not support a stronger statement on China, Najib expressed support for the Philippines’ position to resolve the territorial disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“Respect for international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, must be the basis of the rules of engagement and activities in the South China Sea,” Najib said.
“While we continue our engagement and cooperative relationships with countries outside ASEAN, we need to peacefully manage differences closer to home, including overlapping maritime claims, without increasing tensions,” he added.
He said recent developments have raised concerns about the South China Sea and, given the importance of its sea lanes to international trade, it is natural that almost any occurrence there would attract global attention.
“ASEAN must address the developments in a proactive, but also in a positive and constructive way,” he added.
Najib said he hoped progress would be made toward the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario called on the 10-member regional bloc to take immediate steps to stop China’s reclamation activities in the South China Sea.
“The threats posed by these massive reclamations are real and cannot be ignored or denied. Their adverse implications are urgent and far-reaching, going beyond the region to encompass the global community,” Del Rosario said.
“ASEAN should assert its leadership, centrality and solidarity. ASEAN must show the world that it has the resolve to act in the common interest,” he said.
Also on Sunday, Del Rosario said the Philippines remains committed to work with Southeast Asian countries in the fight against extremism, terrorism and crimes against humanity.
“The Philippines is one with ASEAN in its commitment to a culture of peace, tolerance, mutual respect, and inclusiveness,” he said, while condemning the war crimes and crimes against humanity being perpetrated by ISIS and similar extremist groups.