ASEAN diplomats meet with China as dispute mounts over Beijing's vast maritime claims
VIENTIANE, Laos: Top diplomats from Southeast Asia met China's foreign minister in Laos on Friday for talks that come amid heightened tensions over Beijing's growing efforts to press its vast maritime claims in the South China Sea.
Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have territorial disputes with China that have led to direct clashes that many worry could lead to a wider conflict.
“One wrong move in the South China Sea will turn a small fire into a terrible storm,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retna Marsudi said ahead of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are at odds with China over its claim to sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world's most important waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern over what it sees as Beijing's encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have regularly conducted military exercises and patrols in the area to uphold their “free and open Indo-Pacific” policy, including the right to navigate international waters, drawing criticism from China.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was due to arrive on Saturday to attend ASEAN foreign ministers' meetings and is expected to meet Wang on the sidelines.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has already held direct talks with Wang, is also present at the meetings.
China is a key ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine, and Wang Wang emphasized “deepening strategic coordination” between the two countries, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
Josep Barel, the EU's top diplomat, urged ASEAN ministers not to ignore the European conflict during their meetings.
“I realize that Russian aggression against Ukraine may seem far from ASEAN, but its consequences, whether it is inflation or higher food and oil prices, are also felt by our population, even as Russia does its best to spread disinformation,” Borel said. .
Tensions between the Philippines — an American treaty ally — — and China have escalated this year. In June, a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply vessel collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, causing alarm.
ASEAN members – Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos – stressed at their first meetings on Thursday that it was vital they were not involved, as both China and The US seeks to expand its influence in the region.
After the talks, Marsudi said the group stressed that it should not be a proxy for any power, otherwise “ASEAN will find it difficult to become an anchor of regional stability and peace.”
Wang did not mention the South China Sea in his opening remarks during a meeting with ASEAN ministers on Friday, instead emphasizing China's economic and trade ties.
But the issue has come up and Indonesia has called on China to “participate in maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Indonesia's foreign ministry said.
ASEAN ministers stressed the importance of completing ongoing work with China on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, as the issues remain a “stumbling block” in ASEAN's relations with China, the ministry said.
“Indonesia's position is consistent, namely that all claims should be resolved peacefully through direct dialogue between the parties concerned,” Marsudi was quoted as saying.
China and the Philippines said on Sunday they had reached an agreement they hope will end their standoff, aiming to establish a mutually acceptable agreement for the disputed territory without recognizing each side's territorial claims.
There is disagreement within ASEAN over how to deal with China's maritime claims, and the Philippines has been critical of a perceived lack of support from the bloc.
At Thursday's talks, the Philippines pushed for the June clash to be included in a joint communiqué to be issued at the end of the meetings. Cambodia and Laos, which are close to China, opposed the wording, according to a senior Southeast Asian diplomat who attended the closed-door talks and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue freely.
Manila's proposal said the recent incident in the South China Sea caused “property damage” and “caused injuries,” without mentioning specific details such as the name of the shoal and rival state forces, the diplomat said.
The escalating civil war in Asean member Myanmar is also a major issue under discussion, and the group has supported Thailand taking on a broader role, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said.
Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar, has already been involved in providing humanitarian aid. Maris announced that another $250,000 will be given to the ASEAN Humanitarian Aid Coordination Center for Disaster Management, which is overseeing the plan to deliver aid to Myanmar.
In February 2021, Myanmar's army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and suppressed widespread non-violent protests seeking a return to democratic rule, leading to increased violence and a humanitarian crisis.
ASEAN is pushing for a “five-point consensus” for peace, but Myanmar's military leadership has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc's effectiveness and credibility.
It calls for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar, dialogue between all stakeholders, mediation by the ASEAN Special Representative, humanitarian assistance through ASEAN channels and a visit by a special envoy to Myanmar to meet with all stakeholders.
Myanmar has been barred from sending political representatives to ASEAN meetings and is instead represented by Aung Joo Mo, Myanmar's permanent secretary for foreign affairs.
China, which also shares a long border with Myanmar, also plays an important role in that it supports the military regime while maintaining close contact with several powerful ethnic armed groups that are now fighting against it.
In his opening remarks ahead of the ASEAN-China talks, Aung Joo-mo praised Beijing, promising that the bloc would continue to work to deepen cooperation with China in all fields.
