Vague rhetoric no defence against a powerful bully

There is a lot of vague gobbledygook in this story such as consolidating “the perception on functional cooperation as a genuine way forward for peace and prosperity” and the “issue should not be allowed to disturb the promise for further stability and the growing prosperity that we have worked tirelessly to achieve in Asia”. 

Such things are easy for Thailand to say because, unlike the Philippines, it is not a party to the proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, and unlike Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, it has no claim in this maritime area. China is the aggressor, building up militarily in the sea, as recognised by everyone, including the arbitration panel that ruled against it and called on it to comply with international law. As expected, China has done the opposite.

What Asean has “worked for” is worthless and will “crumble” if a smaller and militarily weaker country can be pushed around and have its sovereignty infringed, as has been happening in this case for years starting with its occupation of reefs and islands in the 1980s. Asean will only become a worthwhile bloc if the 10 members are willing to stand up to China and others that bully any of the members. 

The Genius