ASEAN backs down: Ministers reverse on South China Sea
The Australian
12:00AM June 16, 2016
The likelihood that China will be able to continue to pursue its development policy in the South China Sea, most of which it claims, has been reinforced by the latest in a series of backdowns by the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations.
ASEAN foreign ministers, meeting with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the city of Yuxi in southwest Yunnan province, at first — on Tuesday — issued a tough statement expressing “serious concern” over rising tensions in the area.
But then, overnight, their statement was retracted, for reasons that yesterday remained undisclosed.
The meeting came at a time of growing anxiety about the issue, with an arbitration court in The Hague about to rule on a challenge from The Philippines to Beijing’s territorial claim of the Scarborough Shoal, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Malaysia had proposed the meeting hosted by Mr Wang as a platform for voicing to Beijing ASEAN concerns over recent developments in the South China Sea.
It was Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry who issued the original statement, following talks with Mr Wang, that the ASEAN group “cannot ignore what is happening in the South China Sea as it is an important issue in the relations and co-operation between ASEAN and China”.
“We expressed our serious concerns over recent and ongoing developments, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and which may have the potential to undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea,” it said.
This original statement also said: “We emphasised the importance of non-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities, including land reclamation, which may raise tensions in the South China Sea.”
The retraction, a few hours later, was also issued by the Malaysian foreign ministry
“We have to retract the media statement by the ASEAN foreign ministers ... as there are urgent amendments to be made,” a spokeswoman said.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings told The Australian yesterday: “China has been using very forceful diplomacy to try to split or water down ASEAN’s response to Beijing’s assertive moves in the South China Sea.
“It may be the Malaysian announcement is the result of such ill-disguised coercion.
“If so we can expect more of the same in coming weeks, including no doubt Chinese efforts to mute or qualify Australia’s responses to the South China Sea dispute.”
Mr Wang later said: “The differences between China and The Philippines are well-known to all, but this isn’t an issue between China and ASEAN.
“Co-operation between China and ASEAN is far greater than any specific discord, including the South China Sea dispute.”
Within ASEAN, Cambodia and Laos depend heavily on Chinese aid and investment. And ASEAN’s principles require consensus. Thus second thoughts may have emerged following the release of the initial statement.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times said the reporting of ASEAN’s initial statement as highly critical of China was illusory, headlining an editorial: “Did ASEAN slap China’s face over the South China Sea? Western media crazy thinking.”
The Australian
12:00AM June 16, 2016
The likelihood that China will be able to continue to pursue its development policy in the South China Sea, most of which it claims, has been reinforced by the latest in a series of backdowns by the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations.
ASEAN foreign ministers, meeting with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the city of Yuxi in southwest Yunnan province, at first — on Tuesday — issued a tough statement expressing “serious concern” over rising tensions in the area.
But then, overnight, their statement was retracted, for reasons that yesterday remained undisclosed.
The meeting came at a time of growing anxiety about the issue, with an arbitration court in The Hague about to rule on a challenge from The Philippines to Beijing’s territorial claim of the Scarborough Shoal, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Malaysia had proposed the meeting hosted by Mr Wang as a platform for voicing to Beijing ASEAN concerns over recent developments in the South China Sea.
It was Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry who issued the original statement, following talks with Mr Wang, that the ASEAN group “cannot ignore what is happening in the South China Sea as it is an important issue in the relations and co-operation between ASEAN and China”.
“We expressed our serious concerns over recent and ongoing developments, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and which may have the potential to undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea,” it said.
This original statement also said: “We emphasised the importance of non-militarisation and self-restraint in the conduct of all activities, including land reclamation, which may raise tensions in the South China Sea.”
The retraction, a few hours later, was also issued by the Malaysian foreign ministry
“We have to retract the media statement by the ASEAN foreign ministers ... as there are urgent amendments to be made,” a spokeswoman said.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings told The Australian yesterday: “China has been using very forceful diplomacy to try to split or water down ASEAN’s response to Beijing’s assertive moves in the South China Sea.
“It may be the Malaysian announcement is the result of such ill-disguised coercion.
“If so we can expect more of the same in coming weeks, including no doubt Chinese efforts to mute or qualify Australia’s responses to the South China Sea dispute.”
Mr Wang later said: “The differences between China and The Philippines are well-known to all, but this isn’t an issue between China and ASEAN.
“Co-operation between China and ASEAN is far greater than any specific discord, including the South China Sea dispute.”
Within ASEAN, Cambodia and Laos depend heavily on Chinese aid and investment. And ASEAN’s principles require consensus. Thus second thoughts may have emerged following the release of the initial statement.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times said the reporting of ASEAN’s initial statement as highly critical of China was illusory, headlining an editorial: “Did ASEAN slap China’s face over the South China Sea? Western media crazy thinking.”
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/asean-backs-down-ministers-reverse-on-south-china-sea/news-story/7da1178af289857ba690ec739179334d?nk=f2dd520b7791bb32b76120d92697b9e4-1466133778
