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| Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong speaks at the closing ceremony of the 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia July 13, 2012. |
July 13, 2012
Irwin Loy
Voice of America
Thayer says the issue may have exposed a rift among the ASEAN countries that have territorial disputes with China, and those that rely on China for trade. Cambodia has received hundreds of millions of dollars in soft loans and investment from China.
PHNOM PENH – Southeast Asian foreign ministers have failed to hammer out a joint statement summarizing key regional meetings this week. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations stumbled over how to deal with a simmering dispute in the South China Sea. The unprecedented impasse has left some officials pointing a finger at chair Cambodia, and it raises questions on the cohesiveness of the 10-member bloc.
ASEAN’s failure to compile a basic statement has brought this week’s usually secretive back-room discussions to the forefront. As the meetings concluded on Friday, the Philippines blamed the impasse on Cambodia, which holds this year’s chair of the regional bloc.
The Philippines, one of four ASEAN claimants to the South China Sea, wanted the joint communique to include mention of discussions regarding the Scarborough Shoal, a set of disputed islands in the body of water.
ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam all claim overlapping parts of the South China Sea, along with Taiwan and China. But it is China’s influence on the issue that has proven the most divisive to ASEAN members.
In a news conference following the meetings Friday, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong defended the chair’s decision. Speaking through a translator, he said ASEAN should not be wading into territorial disputes - a position similar to Chinese views of the issue.
“Cambodia has taken a position of principle," he explained. "We are not a tribunal to decide the dispute. Here at the meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers, we are not a tribunal to adjudicate who is right, who is wrong.”
Namhong instead suggested that ASEAN members with claims to the sea were attempting to hijack the process.
The failure to come to terms on a joint communique is unprecedented in the history of ASEAN ministerial meetings , says Carlyle Thayer, a specialist on ASEAN affairs at the University of New South Wales.
Thayer also says the failure to draft even a basic statement this week raises more fundamental questions for ASEAN.
“ASEAN has stood for being the guardian of South East Asia’s regional autonomy. Trying to provide the insulation against the intrusion of great powers," Thayer said. "What this indicates is that China has managed to break that insulation and influence one particular country. That’s going to affect any issues that begin to touch on China.”
Thayer says the issue may have exposed a rift among the ASEAN countries that have territorial disputes with China, and those that rely on China for trade. Cambodia has received hundreds of millions of dollars in soft loans and investment from China.
Still, ASEAN ministers downplayed the issue while acknowledging their concern Friday. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa’s comments Friday were more tempered after he called the failure to reach a joint statement “irresponsible”, just a day earlier. He told reporters that the meetings had made him more inspired to push forward on an elusive ASEAN Code of Conduct, or COC, on the South China Sea dispute.
“If anything out of this meeting I am even more determined to push for the COC, so all these side happenings becomes more contextual," Natalegawa said. "Instead of the incidents, the tail wagging the dog, we should have a sense of purpose. We should move forward rather than being sidetracked by incidents.”
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan stressed the need for members to move quickly on repairing what damage has been done.
“I can’t lay the blame on anyone, declared Pitsuwan. "I think it’s a collective responsibility for us to try to find the solution to this. I consider it a major hiccup. And we will have to recoup from this hiccup very quick and very fast.”
Cambodia remains in the chair for the next ASEAN leaders’ summit, scheduled for November.
7 comments:
Cambodia only see money from China, and doesn't care what Vietnam, Philippin, and Japan's concern. Don't forget Vietnam liberated Cambodia from the Chinese educated madman Polpot. Where was China when Cambodians were killed and starved? Cambodia should protect ASEAN members because Camboida is in the same region. ASEAN share the same concern, use the same rivers and fishery source.
1:06 AM -
Time to restore PolPot.
Neither the U.S and China did help Cambodia and her people much in the past. For now, Cambodia should mediate any nation to come to a peaceful resolution without upset any party whatsoever. Be clear and be clean. You don't want to hurt eagle, dragon, or anyone. They could come back and haunt on you at anytime in the future..
“Association of Southeast Asian Nations ended its annual talks in Cambodia this week without issuing its traditional joint statement due to deep divisions over a South China Sea territorial dispute with China….ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan called the meeting outcome "very disappointing"… while Marty Natalegawa said it was "irresponsible" for the group to skip a joint statement for the first time in its 45-year history.”
=Well here go the blame game again the ASEAN has nobody to blame except themselves! The South China Sea territorial dispute has been an going issue for a very longtime! Tell me what did the previous so called “ASEAN leaders” had done in helping to solve the South China Sea territorial dispute with China? None! So now Cambodia became the chairman and Cambodia is expect to do miracle for the ASEAN-China problems? You got to be kidding me! May I remind all you so called ASEAN members when Cambodia got invaded by Thailand and did any of you ASEAN members talk about the Code Of Conduct applied to the Cambodia-Thailand conflict? When Cambodia invaded by Vietnam and did you ASEAN members talk about Code Of Conduct applied to the Cambodia-Vietnam conflict? As you can see here the ASEAN doesn’t even has its own Code Of Conduct in dealing with its own thuggish members and now they expect Cambodia that was victimized by some of the ASEAN members to solve the fucken problem of ASEAN-China disputes. As long as the ASEAN continue to prey on its own weak members and the ASEAN can forget about solving outside problems because the ASEAN cannot even solve its own internal problems that facing ASEAN as a group.
Cambodia is not a fool to taken lightly! You ASEAN diplomat can say anything you want such as “China used its mighty influence over Cambodia to prevent any statement “ but Cambodia have the right to pursue its own national interest too! By the way Cambodia want to join ASEAN for economic, security , and political understanding benefit but to join ASEAN to be invaded by other ASEAN members and Cambodia must look the other ways!
“Both Vietnam and the Philippines have sought greater U.S. engagement in the region to help develop and enforce their maritime rights”
=Well … Vietnam and Philippines are looking after their own national interest by using the U.S. military power to enforce their right to the sea. And as for Cambodia is also looking after its own national interest too. So far Thailande and Vietname made agreements to carve up all Cambodian sea and at the present Cambodia doesn’t have a sea! And for Thailand and Vietnam to deny Cambodia access to the sea for international trade and this is a death sentence for Cambodian long term economic future. Tell me who will help enforce Cambodia right to the sea?
that's not true to accuse cambodia of seeing only money from china, that's just not true. the fact is, it's never an issue of asean, it's an issue of some of its member states that exploit this opportunity to politicize and internationalize their own issue within asean. then they should also bring the issue cambodia had with koh tral island and preah vihear topic, etc, etc, really. why just south china sea if that's the case, really! you see, how bias and unfair to cambodia that is! shame on those countries for being biased, prejudice and discriminatory toward cambodia, you know. how you argue with that?
Cambodia owe China up to it's head. So, Cambodia have to sided with China as a big brother should.
Again, Hun Sen got used!
Now, Vietnam is agitated because Hun Sen just bit the hands that feed him.
For this, Vietnam will neutralize Hun Sen and replace him with another dumbo.
Again, Cambodia is reset to square one.
ASEAN & U.S & Jap will come up with another defense coalition without Cambodia. It could simply be any such as, SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) like NATO. They ultimate objective is to contain China just in case it will get too powerful, so no gonna be any piece of paper or agreement, but rather real military strength flexing, that is going to settle. That U.S & allies still has the overwhelming advantage. China must look out for Russia & India too as they are like hyenas waiting for scavenging on the injured China.
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