PHNOM PENH - The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) has renewed its
commitment to an existing approach for resolving territorial disputes in the
South China Sea, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday at the end of
the regional bloc's summit.
In a statement as this year's
ASEAN Chairman, Mr Hun Sen said the 10-member bloc pledged to "fully and
effectively implement" the Declaration of Conduct, a framework first
agreed in 2002 that sets out broad principles on conflict resolution for the
South China Sea, an area of contention between China and several South-east
Asian countries including the Philippines and Vietnam.
The declaration acts as a
precursor to a potential narrower Code of Conduct for the disputed waters.
Countries like the Philippines
want to see a code drawn up and implemented, but China has in the past been
hesitant to give its support.
Mr Hun Sen said ASEAN members
also agreed at the summit to encourage all parties to the dispute to resolve
differences peacefully, through negotiations involving countries that are
directly concerned.
China has long preferred to deal
with the South China Sea dispute on a country-by-country basis, whereas the
United States and others have called for a multilateral approach.
At the Phnom Penh meeting, some
have advocated setting up a hotline for countries using the seas to notify each
other of their activities in advance, to minimise the risk of flare-ups.
Mr Hun Sen's statement comes
after officials from other ASEAN countries publicly chided their host yesterday
for apparently taking China's side in the dispute.
The Cambodian Prime Minister had
earlier triggered a diplomatic spat by saying ASEAN had agreed not to
internationalise the issue, prompting public statements of denial from the
Philippines and Singapore.
Philippine officials said
repeatedly that Cambodia was incorrect in its claim, while Singapore's Foreign
Ministry said in a statement that an early draft of the ASEAN Chairman's
statement had misquoted leaders' discussions and that it, along with Brunei,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, had expressed that stance to the
meeting's host.
Three diplomats at the ASEAN
summit said Mr Hun Sen's statement had been redrafted after objections from
some member countries.
The developments are a reminder
that the waters remain a potential flashpoint and reflect moves by both China
and the US to assert their influence in the region.
Expectations are low for progress
in resolving territorial disputes over islands in the sea, which is crossed by
more than half the world's total trade and is thought to contain vast energy
and mineral reserves.
The islands in question are
broadly claimed by China and in part by such nations as Malaysia, the
Philippines and Vietnam.
Talks during the ASEAN meetings
have indicated Cambodia is again aligning with China in the dispute, while the
Philippines has long regarded the US as its ally and a counterbalance to China
in the region.
A meeting of foreign ministers in
July broke up without issuing a communique for the first time in ASEAN's
history, an outcome analysts blamed on host Cambodia being pressured by China.
In comments yesterday, US
President Barack Obama supported a proposed multilateral approach to tackling
territorial tensions in the South China Sea, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
stressed Beijing's right to defend its sovereignty and said ASEAN was committed
not to "internationalise" the dispute.
Both leaders were in Cambodia to
attend the East Asia Summit.
WORLD'S LARGEST FTA
During the summit, Asia-Pacific
leaders also reached an agreement to start negotiations early next year to
create what would be the largest free-trade area (FTA) in the world.
When completed, the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will span 16 countries - 10 ASEAN
members plus Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand - with
a combined market of over three billion people and a combined GDP of about
US$19.78 trillion (S$24.2 trillion) based on 2011 figures.
"With the region accounting
for more than half of the global market and about a third of the global
economic output, there is no doubt that a successful RCEP would significantly
contribute and boost global trade and investment," said Dr Surin Pitsuwan,
ASEAN Secretary-General.
The leaders said they will aim to
complete negotiations for the RCEP by the end of 2015.
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