SINGAPORE - Singapore has reiterated its stand on the role ASEAN can play in the
South China Sea dispute.
Foreign Affairs Minister K
Shanmugam said ASEAN will not deal with the specific delineation and settlement
among claimant states.
Instead, what ASEAN can do is to
set up a framework that would allow for a peaceful resolution of the claims.
The latest remarks from Singapore
come amid reports quoting China's Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Fu Ying as
saying that ASEAN should not negotiate on behalf of member economies.
Ms Fu was quoted as saying that
if ASEAN takes side, it will be very difficult.
Mr Shanmugam said today the
reports painted a different picture than is actually the case.
In fact, bilateral meetings
between leaders held recently allowed both sides to better understand each
other's positions.
Mr Shanmugam said: "We don't
take the position that the non-claimant states will have a direct role in
settling of the disputes between the parties. We have always been clear that
ASEAN's role as a whole is in dealing with a framework and that's a principle
that has been accepted because ASEAN came up with the Declaration of Conduct
(DOC) and the implementation guidelines. So that's really a non-contentious
position."
Talks on a Code of Conduct (COC)
have not started but Mr Shanmugam said ASEAN's position is that it would be in
the best interest of all parties, including China, to start talks on it soon.
China has agreed to the idea of a
COC.
Mr Shanmugam said: "China
has agreed to the idea of the COC but in July, they took the position that the
timing was not right. We have asked them to reconsider that because it is
important.
"The actual claims will take
a very long time to be resolved. Sovereignty issues are not easy to resolve.
Meanwhile, how people behave towards each other, how countries behave towards
each other, on the ground, that is what the Code of Conduct can try to deal
with. The sooner we start, the better it is for everyone and it helps reduce
the possibilities of events on the ground getting out of hand."
Mr Shanmugam also stressed on
ASEAN and Singapore's neutral stance on the issue.
This comes amid media reports
claiming that Singapore agrees with the position of the Philippines.
He said: "Singapore has
taken a position of strict neutrality. That's been our consistent position
right through. We've always said claims are for the claimant states to settle,
ASEAN should be neutral and certainly Singapore has always been and continue to
be neutral on the claims.
"So I think maybe it is
overactive imagination at play in some of the commentaries. Our position is
that the claims should be resolved in accordance with international law,
including UNCLOS (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the
Filipino Foreign Ministry knows that and I think they've been careful in the
way they've put out their statements. Media commentaries have taken it to a
different level. There is absolutely no truth to that."
The mineral and fish-rich region
of the South China Sea is one of the world's busiest sea passages.
And that is why a peaceful
resolution to the issue is important for all parties involved including
Singapore.
Mr Shanmugam said: "The
South China Sea is one of our two vital trade flow waterways, and this entire
Asia Pacific region as one of the few bright spots in the world economy today,
has risen and prospered in the last 40, 50 years because of peace and
stability.
"Anything that impacts on
the peace and stability seriously impacts on every one of us, whether we are
claimant or a non-claimant. When investors think of this region, and when the
South China Sea dispute looms large and is seen as an area of instability, that
has a deep impact on Singapore.
"We are not a claimant
state, we have no territorial claims but we have every interest in wanting the
disputes to be resolved in as a peaceful a way as possible. And that is not
just our perspective, I shared this perspective with Australia, which is in a
similar position to us and that is the position of the other ASEAN states, the non-claimant
states as well as the claimant states and that's indeed China's position as
well.
"China recognises that peace
and stability are essential for it to develop. So China wants it as much as
anyone else. And China and Singapore have agreed to work closely on these
matters."
China and Taiwan as well as four
ASEAN states, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have
overlapping claims over the South China Sea.
This came to a head earlier this
year when both the Philippines and Vietnam accused China of using intimidation
to exert its claims over the disputed islands. This led to a standoff between
the Philippines and China.
Imelda Saad Aziz
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