Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi embarked on a three-stop visit to Southeast
Asia on Thursday, in which the South China Sea issue is expected to top
discussions.
Chinese experts believe Yang will
seek understanding from the island nations on the territorial issue, including
Indonesia, which plays a leading mediating role in discussions inside the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The foreign minister will also
focus on building better bilateral relations during the trip, as Beijing does
not want to see its broad ties with the region dominated by the issue.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin
Gang said on Wednesday that Yang will pay official visits to Indonesia, Brunei
and Malaysia from Thursday to Aug 13, at the invitation of his counterparts
from the respective countries.
The visit comes as Beijing's
tensions with Hanoi and Manila in the South China Sea increased in recent
months.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam,
Malaysia and Brunei all have claims over some islands and waters in the South
China Sea.
During his visit, Yang will also
co-chair, with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the second meeting
of the joint committee for bilateral cooperation between the two governments.
"In my view the Indonesian
visit is targeted more at bilateral ties," said Yang Baoyun, an expert on
Southeast Asian studies at Peking University.
Still, he said Beijing recognizes
Indonesia's mediation efforts on the South China Sea issue.
Indonesia has played an active
mediating role in discussions on the South China Sea dispute after foreign
ministers of the 10-member ASEAN last month failed to issue a joint communique
at their meeting in Phnom Penh because they could not agree on a paragraph
about territorial disputes.
Natalegawa then embarked on a
36-hour "shuttle diplomacy" tour to the Philippines, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore that resulted in ASEAN member states agreeing
on a joint statement outlining ASEAN's six key principles on the issue.
On Wednesday Natalegawa warned of
a "risk of further tensions" in the South China Sea if a
"collective and common approach" is not soon agreed on. He was
referring to a code of conduct on the South China Sea issue designed to reduce
tensions.
He said he hoped to compare notes
on the South China Sea with Yang during his visit.
Peking University's Yang Baoyun
said the key point on which to achieve consensus in any code of conduct, is
that the proposal cannot challenge China's sovereignty.
"That is the bottom
line," he said.
He said it seems that differences
on the South China Sea issue among the Southeast Asian countries have deepened
and now dominate their relations with China.
"But I believe the problem
has been played up too much by the media, and countries including the US which
seek to maximize their own interests."
US State Department spokesman
Patrick Ventrell said on Aug 3 that China raised tensions in the region last
month by establishing a city and garrison in the South China Sea.
Three Chinese officials, in the space
of 24 hours, slammed the US criticism, with one official summoning a senior US
diplomat to the US embassy in Beijing, a rare gesture analysts said shows
Beijing's determined stance on the territorial issue.
Luo Yongkun, an expert on
Southeast Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International
Relations, said ASEAN countries' different opinions on the South China Sea
issue have yielded negative influence over the 10-nation bloc's integration
process.
However, economic differences are
the key obstacle, Luo said.
Recent development in the South
China Sea issue also drew attention from other neighboring countries, such as
India.
"The stakes in the South
China Sea have been raised and tension is set to escalate. India too could find
itself being drawn in to the dispute," a column carried by Mumbai-based
newspaper DNA, said on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday India's Navy
Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma ruled out any active deployment in the South China
Sea claiming that India's primary area of focus remains the Indian Ocean.
"At this point of time, the
Pacific and South China Sea are of concern to the global community, but in
terms of any active deployment from our side, it is not on the cards,"
Verma said.
A fishing fleet returns to Sanya Port in the southernmost province of
Hainan on July 29, 2012, concluding its voyage of casting nets in the South
China Sea. The 30-boat fishing fleet left Sanya Port on July 12 and arrived at
Yongshu Reef, Zhubi Reef and Meiji Reef of Nansha Islands.
Honor guards raise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations flag at a
flag raising ceremony to mark the 45th anniversary of the regional group at
Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Aff airs in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday.
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