Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
“This time it’s a hiccup within the Asean group.”
Asean ministers ended a major regional security forum on Thursday having failed to agree on a code of conduct that would help reduce tension in the South China Sea.
The overlapping claims to the resources and waterways of the sea by China and a number of Asean states was one of a number of security issues that ministers dealt with.
But Indonesia’s foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, said failure to reach agreement on the code was “extremely disappointing.” Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan also echoed a similiar position.
“This time it’s a hiccup within the Asean group,” he said. “We could not find a common position on just one issue. The rest is OK.”
Asean countries had hoped to solidify a code of conduct that would then be negotiated with China. The declaration would not solve the overlapping claims issue but would outline protocols for ships’ behavior within the area.
Kao Kim Hourn, secretary of state for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said all countries were committed to a “peaceful settlement of the dispute.”
“All the parties involved should be discussing this issue more,” he said. “But at the same time, they believe that what has been happening will affect regional peace, stability and security.”
Thursday’s meeting was attended by top diplomats from across Asia. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended as well, claiming the US would not take sides in the South China Sea issue but wanted peace and stability there.
Chheang Vannarith, executive director for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said the US has interests in preventing conflict in the South China Sea, which has seen some tension in recent months.
The dispute can be hard to manage for Cambodia, which holds the rotating presidency of Asean this year, as some members of Asean are deeply involved and others aren’t, he said..
A code of conduct between the claimant states could prevent conflict for now, he said, but it won’t resolve the underlying issue. “If they use this tool to [try to] solve sea borders and sovereignty, it’s impossible,” he said.
Independent political analyst Lao Monghay said that regardless of the outcome of the code of conduct, the experience for Cambodia as a broker between China and Asean has been beneficial.
Still, solving the disputes over the sea will be hard, he said. That’s because China does not have an interest in settling them through international law.
“If problems are solved through international law, China will lose,” he said.
China’s argument is historical, and their stance is firm, he said.
China has proven reluctant to sign onto the code of conduct, and prefers to negotiate bilaterally, where it has the most power, analysts say.
Meanwhile, China has built strong relationships across the region, in countries like Cambodia, which could divide Asean countries.
That will now come against increased US engagement, Lao Monghay said, including direct aid in health, education and other fields beyond the current aid, mainly to the military.
Aside from the South China Sea issue, Asean ministers also sought to tackle the issues of the Korean peninsula and sanctions on Burma, an Asean member state.
17 comments:
Mr. 2012 ASEAN host,
How about the signatory countries who signed the 1991 Paris peace accord and defied it?
Why this important issue has never mentioned in any ASEAN meeting?
How about the signatory countries who signed the 1991 Paris peace accord and defied it?
Why this important issue has never mentioned in any ASEAN meeting?
Mr. 2012 ASEAN host,
If you are really Khmer, you should have taken this golden opportunity to strengthen Khmer sovereignty by bringing up this issue and let the world know your master's ill intention toward Cambodia.
If you are a chicken, you should not be Khmer leader. It is obvious that you have led Cambodia to its extinction in the near future - at least Khmer people become a minority in Cambodia if Cambodia is not disappearing from the world map.
But who know? Look at Champa and Khmer Krom. Vietnam claimed that Khmer Krom people were just a minority group who emigrated to live in Vietnam to escape war in Cambodia.
This is a possibility:
First, Vietnam changes those 3 countries to Indochina.
50 years later, Vietnam changes Indochina to Vietnam, then Cambodia and Lao will be gone.
Who will complain for Cambodia and Lao?
The number of the Vietnamese will be overwhelmed in both countries.
I am A Khmer,
Dear Compatriot(9:23)
You are a real nationalist, But no dout, Hun Sen is a best Yuon'dog. He has killed a lot of Khmers since he was a commander of Khmer Rouge soldiers.
Let's find ways to bring him to the international Tribrunal Court.
this is china waters and territories, ok. don't mess with china by vietnam and philipines, ok. china is a bigger country and with one hundred times vietnam or phillipines populations combined, really. of course, china is a big fish, so don't mess with the big fish of china, ok. vietnam and the philipines are way to tiny for china, you know. imagine how cambodia feels about vietnam stole koh tral island from cambodia. we heard before vietnam used their big population and bigger land mass against cambodia by threatening cambodia with their bigger population and land mass, so it is karma for vietnam that china is learning from that and do the same to vietnam/youn country, you know. so, next time, i suggest vietnam stops picking on cambodia for size or whatever, ok. because other bigger countries will do the same to vietnam for picking on cambodia, really. i told you, what goes around comes around eventually; it's only a matter of time, you know. god bless china and cambodia always. and as for the greedy philipines, your island country had enough islands already, so stop being greedy and try to get america involved in your philipino's greed, ok. it's not going to work like that, really. and the last i read, your country the phillipines have around 7 thousands islands already and out of those 7 thousands of your philipines islands, i read only a handful were populated by the philipino people anyway, so stop being greedy and try to steal from china, ok. china will not allow that because china is a much bigger country that have bigger waters territories, etc, really. and as for vietnam, your time is up, so sooner or later, vietnam must return koh tral island back to cambodia, ok... your puny viet size and population don't matter to cambodia nor china because cambodia will always say china have a much bigger population and land mass than vietnam and the philipines combined, ok! so, stop messing with china, ok! you have messed with cambodia, but you better watch it when you mess with china, ok. and stop picking on cambodia again or china, russia, america, france, britain and israel will nuke vietnam, and manila back to the stone age age, ok! and it's not funny, ok! next time you pick on cambodia again, think about what china will do to you, really! cambodia don't like to be picked on by vietnam, especially, ok! or china will turn vietnam into a province of china again like in history, ok!
of course, more power to china, really!
Dear All,
How about Mr.Sam Rangsy and Mr. Kem Sokha? Are they Khmer nationalists or one of them is a Hun Sen'dog? To me, I have heard that most of Khmers want them to merge their two parties into one without any individual interest condition, Nation is priority.
Let's see after Mr. Sam Rangsy and Kem Sokha's meetting in Philippine.
Which one is Hun Sen's dog? Sam Rangsy or Kem Sokha?
Aswer is whoever will reject the two-parties mergging plan is a Hun Sen' dog.
Real Khmer people are the judges.
Please High Supreme beings bless all of Khmers on earth!
don't mess with china; china is not vietnam's toy, ok! and cambodia is not vietnam's toy either, ok! or vietnam will taste its own medicine if it keeps on messing with cambodia and china, you know. cambodia have no sympathy for vietnam for steal our koh tral island that belongs to cambodia since ancient time,really. it is stupid and ignorant to say cambodia gave koh tral island to vietnam for free or something, you know because we did not, vietnam stole it from us by taking advantage of weak khmer kings and queens, and that doesn't make it right, really! now china have these islands, so don't try to steal that from china too, ok, china will teach you a lesson, ok vietnam! so don't even try to play cat and mouse with china, ok vietnam/youn! cambodia don't support vietnam with this, really!
Koh Trol is a swimming distance from Cambodia.
Vietnam just took it and now the traitor Hun Sen ratified it as Vietnam's island.
Before Vietnam tries to claim any islands in the south China sea, stop being a hypocrite by giving Koh Trol and other islands that Vietnam took to Cambodia first.
Maybe bad Karma will teach Vietnam a lesson soon: what goes around, comes around.
Vietnam must know that China in 2012 is not the same China in 1979 who taught Vietnam a lesson.
Chet Roy Heuy Ah Kantorb!!
i told you, viet/youn is having a rude awakening for stealing and bullying cambodia with large population and larger land mass, etc, we hear that from vietnam and their foreign lovers all the times sayin picking on cambodia size, etc. now china should teach vietnam/youn country a serious lesson on who's bigger and who is the boss, etc, really! vietnam have no chance against giant china, really! next time vietnam stop stealing and picking on cambodia size, etc, ok! china knows exactly how cambodia and khmer people feel about koh tral island, etc, you know. so more power to china, ok!
Da china's clamed territorial everywhere in these world!They are never and ever enough and enough!!Themselves reason is mafia untill.I wish they will die like all khmer that gonna was die free everyday too.
part of the south china sea should be belong to khmer. And not youn if it wasn't for the french's signing it off to youn
HOW THE HELL DOES THE FUCKING COMMNIST CHINESE CLAIM THE WHOLE OCEAN BY HIMSELF??
go china go! it's youn's karma, you know! youn did it to khmer so now china did it to youn, etc, really, the big fish get to eat the little fish, isn't it! the question is: what gave viet/youn the right to steal koh tral island from cambodia in the first place, you know? if you understand this, then you will understand why china and cambodia felt this way about vietnam steal somebody else's islands, etc, ok! get educated already, ok!
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE SLANTED EYES CHINESE BULLY TACTICS, OK! DON'T BE STUPID FOREVER, OK! GO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHINA BULLY HISTORY, OK!
10:21 PM
Mr. OK,
Should Khmer people learn about your bull shit Vietnam first? OK or Not ?
Vietnam women so yumy in S.. and most Cambodian dark skin like to rub their sick in her Vietnam YUNI. Khmer King Setha II had tasted that yumy orgasm oh yeah, exchange land for Vietnam pussy....
that was so old like prostitution was the oldest profession known to man, really. for me, no money, no honey, ok. in cambodia, love you long time, ok!
Agreement and unified statement or not on paper, the real dispute issue will still persist for as long as China not agreeing to sign it. The real preparation and deterence have already taken place with 60% of U.S forces coming to Asia, NATO, Japan, Australia, S.Korea, India and even Russia all have economic and political interest in the disputed sea, and are loading up some ASEAN countries with weapons. China is not secured enough to test their weapons against U.S/NATO/Japan's, especially when India and Russia are rooting and waiting to scavenge China up (like over 100 yrs ago) after an arm conflict between China vs U.S & allies. Look for both sides to get tougher
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