Some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stepped up pressure on Thursday on China to respect international law following skirmishes in the South China Sea.
However, Chinese Premier Li Qiang was defiant since he blamed “external forces” for interfering in regional affairs.
The 10-member ASEAN meeting with Li followed the latest violent confrontations at the South China Sea this year between China and ASEAN members Philippines and Vietnam that raised tension over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the contested waters.
During talks, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said it is sorrowful that the general situation at disputes areas in this seas remain tense and unchanged due to China’s behaviors.
He called for more pressure during ASEAN talks with China regarding a code of conduct to govern the sea.
Meanwhile, Li said the South China Sea is “a shared home” and that China is committed to protecting its sovereignty.
Interfering from external forces create disputes in
side the region, he added.
Some officials said that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who arrived in Vientiane on Thursday for the meetings, is expected to raise the issue of China’s aggression in the sea.
Although the U.S. has no claims, it has deployed Navy ships and fighter jets to patrol the waterway and promote freedom of navigation and overflight.
Furthermore, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the bloc has called for an early conclusion to the code of conduct. Ibrahim, who will take over the rotating ASEAN chair next year, said talks on the code of conduct have been ongoing for years that are hampered by sticky issues including disagreements over whether the pact should be binding.
Vice President of Indonesia Marouf Amin suggested reactivating direct communication between ASEAN senior officials and the Chinese government approved since 2016 to discuss preventing tension in this sea.
Tension in South China Sea affects the Eastern South Asia region and the world, he said, urging endin
g disputes peacefully through dialogue with respecting international law, mainly the UN agreement on sea endorsed in 1982.
Additionally, Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn said the bloc remains a stability force in South China Sea, adding that there are ongoing talks and matters are proceeding.
He is pinning hopes on dialogue and diplomacy.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan – ASEAN members – called for sovereignty over a number of wealthy areas, in the South China Sea, but China claims that it fully owns the sea.
ASEAN and China talks focused on trade as Li said establishing an extremely huge market is a key for economic prosperity.
He added that the ASEAN and China expect to conclude negotiations to upgrade their free trade pact next year. He noted that since the two sides inked the pact covering a market of two billion people in 2010, ASEAN’s trade with China leaped from USD 235.5 billion to USD 696.7 billion last year.
A statement issued by Laos, the president of ASEAN this
year, said China is one of the most important activist dialogue partners in the bloc.
Dialogue relations were established between the two sides for the first time in 1991 and were upgraded to strategic partnership in 2018 and then comprehensive strategic partnership in 2021.
China is the first trading partner and the third-largest source of foreign investment of ASEAN. This is a key reason why the bloc has been reluctant to criticize Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
During the talks, leaders touched upon progress made and determined future direction to enhance comprehensive strategic partnership between the bloc and China to boost communication and flexibility for common benefits, among ASEAN, China and the world community.
On Tuesday, the 44th and 45th summits of ASEAN and relevant summits with dialogue partners in Laos killed off and will conclude on Friday, tomorrow.
Source: Kuwait News Agency