China vows to work with ASEAN but blames PH, Vietnam for communique fiasco

 July 21, 2012

BEIJING -- China pledged Friday to cooperate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to safeguard regional peace and stability after the 10-member bloc issued a six-point statement on the South China Sea.

At the same time, it blamed the Philippines and Vietnam for the failure of participants to the recent 45th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to issue a joint communiqué, the first time in the regional bloc’s history this has happened.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

What the regional bloc issued on Friday was "ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea," in which member-states reaffirmed their commitment to the  "peaceful resolution of disputes" in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam had wanted the communiqué to mention the ongoing disputes over territory in the South China Sea, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, but this was blocked by Cambodia.
But in Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said the ASEAN foreign ministers have finally agreed to issue a joint communiqué on the South China Sea conflict.

The announcement came in the wake of visits by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to four countries in the regional bloc and calls to other counterparts.

"The joint communiqué, which will be issued soon, is based on ‘all-weather’ principles. That means it will be applicable in any given situation," he said.

"The Chinese side is willing to work together with the ASEAN members to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea comprehensively and effectively," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

Qu Xing, head of the China Institute of International Studies, blamed Vietnam and the Philippines for the failure to issue the communiqué last week.

"The two countries attempted to turn the disputes between them and China into a problem between China and ASEAN as a whole, which was unacceptable for the other members of the bloc," he said.

"The Chinese side has noticed the ASEAN's statement on the South China Sea (on Friday)," Hong said, as he stressed that the core problem of the South China Sea was the disputes over the sovereignty of the Nansha islands and the demarcation of the islands' adjacent waters.

"China has sufficient historical and jurisprudential evidence for its sovereignty over the Nansha islands and the adjacent waters," he added.

However, Hong said China is open to consultations with the ASEAN on the conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

"(We) hope that all the parties will strictly abide by the DOC and create necessary conditions and atmosphere for the consultations," he said.

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, China attaches importance to safeguarding the principles and mission of the Convention, said the spokesman.

Hong said UNCLOS is aimed to establish a legal order for the seas and oceans "with due regard for the sovereignty of all States," and it does neither serve as an international treaty to address disputes over territorial sovereignty between states nor as evidence used to judge over the disputes.

The countries concerned should address the disputes over the maritime demarcation in the South China Sea, after the land disputes have been resolved, in accordance with historical facts and all international laws including UNCLOS, he added.

"China attaches importance to its ties with the ASEAN," Hong said, adding the country is committed to promoting friendly neighborhood and reciprocal cooperation with the ASEAN to push ahead with the cooperation in East Asia with joint efforts.

He said China and ASEAN share common interests and responsibilities in keeping Asia's development and maintaining regional peace and stability against the backdrop of the ongoing international financial crisis.
"The two sides should continue to promote their strategic communication in pursuit of a reciprocal and win-win situation, with mutual respect and trust in mind as well as handle the relationship between the two sides from strategic and long-term perspective," he added. 
(with a report from Antara News)