Ministers to consult on South China Sea code

In their annual meeting yesterday, foreign ministers from the 27-member Asean Regional Forum (ARF) said they supported the plan to hold official consultations on the code of conduct relating to South China Sea disputes in a move to ensure peace and stability. 

Under Thailand’s coordination at an earlier meeting in Brunei, China and Asean agreed to hold official consultations on the code of conduct when senior officials and joint-working groups get together again in China in September. 

Territorial disputes between China and several Asean members over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, which is referred to as the “Eastern Sea” in some Asean states, was a hot issue at this year’s Asean meeting. Though the grouping signed a non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in 2002, this instrument has no teeth to tackle the conflict. Asean has, for a long time, been pushing for a legally binding code of conduct for good practice in the sea. 

Though the ARF ministers welcomed the diplomatic progress made on the issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing blamed the dispute on some Asean members who violated China’s sovereignty. While emphasising the full and effective implementation of the 10-year-old DOC, China agreed to hold consultations for the process of the code of conduct.

However, Asean countries want to see a “substantial consultation” on the code. 

“We don’t want to talk too much about the process, but want substance to the code of conduct,” Sihasak Phuangketkeow, permanent secretary at the Thai Foreign Ministry, told reporters on the sidelines of the ARF meeting yesterday.

The Philippines also took the floor at the meeting to explain its stance on the situation. Albert del Rosario, the Philippines secretary of Foreign Affairs, had earlier accused China of boosting military presence in the area. 

While backing the Asean-China consultation on the code of conduct, Manila will continue seeking a solution through arbitration, an official said. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry told his Asean colleagues that maintaining peace and stability in the area, respect for international law, unimpeded lawful commerce and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea were of national interest for his country.

“While we do not take a position on a competing territorial claim over land features, we have a strong interest in the manner in which the disputes of the South China Sea are addressed and in the conduct of the parties.

“We very much hope to see progress soon on a substantive code of conduct in order to help ensure stability in this vital region,” he said.

ARF is a regional body for security consultation in the Asia-Pacific region and the meeting is held annually alongside a forum of Asean foreign ministers. At yesterday’s ARF meeting, the ministers also discussed many other issues including seeking a peaceful solution to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. All concerned parties – the United States, Russia, China, Japan as well as North and South Korea – were at the ARF meeting.