Vientiane // South East Asian nations on Monday ducked direct criticism of Beijing over its claims to the South China Sea, in a watered down statement produced after days of disagreement, giving China a diplomatic victory.
The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) avoided mention of a ruling by a UN-backed tribunal that rejected China’s claims and infuriated Beijing.
Instead, Asean repeated that it was “seriously concerned” by “land reclamations and escalation of activities” and called for “self-restraint” in the strategic waterway.
China publicly thanked Cambodia for supporting its stance on maritime disputes, a position which threw the regional block’s weekend meeting in the Laos capital of Vientiane into disarray.
Competing claims with China in the vital shipping lane are among the most contentious issues for Asean, with members pulled between their desire to assert their sovereignty while finding common ground and fostering ties with Beijing.
In a ruling by the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration on July 12, the Philippines won an emphatic legal victory over China on the dispute.
The Philippines and Vietnam both wanted the ruling, which denied China’s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway that channels more than $5 trillion (Dh18.36tn) in global trade each year, and a call to respect international maritime law to feature in the communique.
Backing China’s call for bilateral discussions, Cambodia opposed the wording on the ruling, diplomats said.
Manila agreed to drop the reference to the ruling in the communique, one Asean diplomat said on Monday, in an effort to prevent the disagreement leading to the group failing to issue a statement.
The communique referred instead to the need to find peaceful resolutions to disputes in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the United Nations’ law of the sea, to which the court ruling referred.
“We remain seriously concerned about recent and ongoing developments and took note of the concerns expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations and escalation of activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” the Asean communique said.
It is the first time key players – including US secretary of state John Kerry and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi – have met en masse since a UN-backed tribunal a fortnight ago rejected Beijing’s claims.
Asean’s leading envoys have spent days wrangling over how to respond to the ruling amid splits, acrimony and fears the bloc is faltering in its response to the major security challenge of the day.
Staunch Beijing ally Cambodia has been accused of scuppering efforts by the bloc to unite in a call for China to abide by the tribunal’s verdict.
Four Asean members – Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei – have competing claims with Beijing over parts of the South China Sea.
Most members want to keep pressure on China over its campaign of island-building yet they are wary of stoking such a vital trading partner.
But ASEAN operates on a tradition of consensus diplomacy, meaning a single nation can have an effective veto if it disagrees.
After the statement was issued, Mr Wang accused countries outside the region of “keeping the temperature high” over the sea, a clear rebuke to the US.
The US says it takes no position on the territorial disputes but argues for free sea and air passage through what it considers international waters.
It has called on Beijing to accept the tribunal ruling.
* Agence France-Presse and Reuters
