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Thursday, March 28, 2024

China chided for military buildup

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IN A move likely to frustrate Beijing, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday firmed up a strongly-worded statement calling out China’s massive militarization and island building activities as chairman of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ending speculations he will steer the regional bloc to China’s wishes of toning down the content of the communiqué.

Earlier drafts of the chairman’s Statement showed Duterte was likely to gloss over China’s incursions, a move that echoed the positions of Asean member-states Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam that were seen as being friendlier to China.

Following China’s heavy lobbying for Manila to “water down” the communiqué, including “land reclamation and militarization” first seen last year in Laos, but not featured in an earlier draft of this year’s statement seen on Wednesday.

“We took note of the serious concerns expressed by some leaders over recent developments and escalation of activities in the area, which may further raise tensions and erode trust and confidence in the region,” the communiqué read. 

It added: “We reaffirmed the importance of enhancing mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities, avoiding actions, such as land reclamation and militarization that may further complicate the situation, and pursuing the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [Unclos].” 

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Meanwhile, Duterte expressed concerns over threats to regional peace and stability, while also stressing the need to tackle pressing issues like drug trafficking and terrorism in the region, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The Asean leaders will discuss the  proposed code of conduct in the South China Sea between Asean  and China, the framework of which is being negotiated by Asean officials in the hope of finalizing it this year, the DFA said.

The DFA said Duterte called for “peaceful resolution of disputes” and respect for rule of law, saying, “In an era where there can be much of uncertainly, we must faithfully adhere to the supremacy of the law and rely on the primacy of rules as responsible members of the international community.”

President Rodrigo Duterte

In a related  development, the Chinese embassy in Manila said it noted relevant statement of the Philippines with regard to the SCS issue, saying China’s position on the South China Sea issue was consistent and clear. 

“The Chinese side is ready to continue following the agreement reached between the leaders of our two countries, properly handle sea-related issues with the Philippines, and constantly create a favorable environment for the sound and steady development of the bilateral relationship as well as our practical cooperation in various fields,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

Asean leaders will confirm their “shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as to the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force,” the DFA  said. 

Despite China’s heavy lobbying for Manila to remove the phrase “full respect for legal and diplomatic processes,” a term in diplomatic circles heavily seen as referring to the arbitral ruling, Filipino diplomats still moved for their inclusion. 

The statement, however, will not mention the international tribunal ruling nor China directly. 

“We reaffirmed our shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as to the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the same language used during the 28th and 29th Asean Summit in Vientiane.  

China, through its ambassador to Manila, had this week been heavily lobbying Duterte to weaken it further, and drop any reference to international law, delegates and diplomats told AFP.

“The lobbying is quite intense. They (China) want it further watered down,” one diplomat told AFP.

Filipino diplomats said the phrase was important because “legal and diplomatic processes” 

encompassed the entire process of the filing of the case in the tribunal until its resolution.

“In diplomatic terms it can also refer to the tribunal ruling,” another diplomat said.

The same statement likewise affirmed “the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in an over-flight over the South China Sea” and the operationalization of the Joint Statement on the Application of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea in the South China Sea and the Guidelines for Hotline Communications among Senior Officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Asean Member States and China. 

The communique also noted “the improvement of bilateral relations between China and some ASEAN Member States.”

Duterte, who said he would be raising as Asean chair the Code of Conduct for Parties in the South China Sea, expressed confidence to complete it before the year ends. 

The communique read: “We underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in its entirety. We welcomed the progress to complete a framework of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea by middle of this year, in order to facilitate the early adoption of the COC. 

“We recognized the long-term benefits that would be gained from having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and sustainable development.” 

Ahead of the summit, Duterte said the Philippines and other nations were helpless to stop Chinese artificial island building in areas they claimed, so there was no point protesting against it at diplomatic events such as Saturday’s summit.

“It cannot be an issue anymore. It’s already there. What would be the purpose also of discussing it if you cannot do anything,” Duterte told reporters on Thursday.

China has been turning reefs and shoals in areas of the sea claimed by the Philippines and other nations into artificial islands, and installing military facilities there.

The United States has criticized the construction work, warning against militarization in the waterway where $5 trillion in annual trade passes.

Asean members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the sea, but China insists it has sovereign rights over nearly all of it, even waters approaching its neighbors’ coasts.

The Philippines, under previous president Benigno Aquino III, had lobbied hard at Asean summits for the bloc to voice its strong opposition to the Chinese expansionism, and official statements at those events often reflected that.

Aquino also filed a case at a UN-backed tribunal asking it to reject China’s claims and artificial island building.

The tribunal last year ruled largely in the Philippines’ favor. But the ruling came after Duterte, who favors much closer ties with China, took power. With AFP

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