Yesterday, a day after Cambodia
announced that regional leaders were in agreement not to “internationalise”
disputes within the resource-rich sea, the Philippines said the claim was
simply inaccurate.
“Various views were expressed on
ASEAN unity that were translated by the chair into an ASEAN consensus. This was
not the understanding of both the Philippines and at least one other country,”
Filipino Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario told reporters during
an interview that took place on the sidelines of yesterday’s meet.
A formal letter was sent to the
chair and ASEAN foreign ministers outlining the Philippines’ position, added
del Rosario.
One of the chief claimants in the
South China Sea, the Philippines has long sought to counter China’s claim by
seeking assistance from third-party states – particularly the US.
That position has put them at
odds with China, and, at times, China’s supporters within ASEAN, which has
pushed for bilateral resolutions.
Discord over the two viewpoints
led to fallout during the last summit, when the bloc was unable to agree upon a
joint communiqué for the first time in its 45-year-history.
A cautious six-point agreement
was later endorsed, but only following intense shuttle diplomacy efforts by
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
Whether those same tensions will
undermine this week’s meet is not yet clear.
If the South China Sea does not
come up during today’s East Asian Summit, however, the Philippines would
definitely raise it, members of the Filipino delegation confirmed yesterday.
Japan and the US, meanwhile, also
took hard lines on the issue of the South China Sea, with both of them raising
it in meetings with ASEAN member states, stressing concerns over the security
threats posed by tensions in the sea.
In a press briefing given late
last night, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Kao Kim Hourn
confirmed that US President Barack Obama raised the issue in yesterday’s
ASEAN-United States leaders meeting, but said there was no immediate response
from the regional leaders.
“Each country’s leaders is free
to raise any issues,” he said.
The Japanese government,
meanwhile, issued a statement following the ASEAN-Japan leaders meet, saying:
“Prime Minister Noda raised the issue of the South China Sea, noting that this
is of common concern for the international community, and would have a direct
impact on peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific.”
But the growing clamour from
abroad and disagreements within ASEAN over how to address those outside voices
appeared to have fallen on deaf ears for China, which yesterday thanked ASEAN
for its commitment to not internationalise the discussion.
“For many years, peace and
stability have been maintained in the South China Sea, this is a proof that
discussion and communication between China and ASEAN countries are effective
and should be valued,” said Qin Gang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
All of which puts ASEAN at a
delicate impasse. ASEAN officials as well as those from Thailand and Indonesia
yesterday cautiously sidestepped questions about whether there had indeed been
a consensus among leaders regarding the issue of internationalisation.
After one reporter asked, for the
third time, a point blank question as to whether the Cambodian statement
regarding consensus was accurate, a Indonesian presidential spokesman, Teuku
Faizasyah, would only reply: “I can’t comment on what Cambodia said.”
Cheang Sokha
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