THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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US urges end to militarisation in South China Sea 

US urges end to militarisation in South China Sea 

THE United States, in its meeting with Asean ministers in Washington, urged all concerned parties to stop militarisation and building facilities in the contentious South China Sea – to enable a conducive environment to ease tensions peacefully.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his counterparts from Asean on Thursday to reaffirm importance of the regional group, which commemorates its 50th anniversary this year.
The ministers discussed a wide range of issues – on relations and regional challenges, notably ongoing tension in the contentious sea and North Korea’s nuclear programme. 
Some members of Asean, such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, have been at loggerheads with China for decades over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
While Asean and China are working on a code of conduct to control the behaviour of countries in the sea, nearly all states that claim areas have reclaimed land and built facilities which could be utilised for military purposes in disputed areas, particularly in the Spratly Islands. 
“The US strongly encouraged all relevant parties to stop any activities associated with militarising and constructing or reclaiming land in the disputed areas while talks are going on, for the partners in the region to talk about solutions,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Patrick Murphy said. 
“It would be beneficial for all if such activities and militarisation and construction would stop, let’s ensure that the environment is conducive for good talks to find solutions,” Murphy said in a phone conference with journalists from Southeast Asia after the US-Asean meeting. 
The US is not a claimant but |has called consistently for freedom of navigation through the contentious sea and flights passing |over it. “What US commitment to do on the South China Sea involves is in accordance with international laws, our rights to navigate and to fly freely to this area, which is great important to us, and to this region for trade and commerce transit,” Murphy said. 

‘A threat to the entire globe’ 
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said Asean ministers briefed Tillerson in the meeting on the progress of consultation between China and Asean on the code of conduct. The group will be able to conclude framework for the so-called code for the South China Sea by the middle of this year, Don told reporters in a separated phone conference from Washington to Bangkok.
On North Korea, the US and Asean foreign ministers agreed that there was an urgent need for implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and for North Korea to comply with those resolutions, Murphy said. Washington expected partners in Southeast Asia to step up additional necessary measures to enforce the UN resolutions, he said. 
“We really need to bring the UN resolutions into force because the North Korea is continuing pursue a nuclear programme and testing ballistic missiles – that is a threat not only to the Asia Pacific but also US, Australia, Europe and indeed the entire globe,” he said. 
Secretary Tillerson also addressed the trade imbalance some Asean members have with the US, Murphy said. “This administration has made it clear that we have very significant imbalances with over a dozen countries and some of them are in the region. 
“This imbalance exceeded $10 billion that why we have to launch a dialogue, so that we can correct the imbalances because the US under this administration emphasised that we are very much in favour of trade but it’s not just free trade but fair trade,” he said. “It’s important for US companies and investors to be able to have equal and fair access to |markets as much as others get to the US market.”
 

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