Wednesday, July 11, 2012

China not in row with ASEAN: FM

Cambodian soldiers stand guard in front of the Peace Palace, the main venue of the ASEAN annual ministerial meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum, in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

By Hao Zhou
Global Times | 2012-7-11

The South China Sea row is not between China and the entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but between China and some members of the 10-nation regional organization, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman noted Tuesday, while an analyst said ASEAN does not have a single voice when dealing with China over the sea row.

Hyping the South China Sea issue actually goes against the consensus of countries in the region, which aims to promote development and cooperation, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said, noting that the hype aims to damage China's relations with ASEAN.

Foreign ministers from ASEAN member states and their regional counterparts from 16 other countries, including China and the US, are gathering in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, to discuss regional issues this week.


Liu said the main agenda of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting is to "push for the establishment of an ASEAN union before 2015," rather than tackling the South China Sea row.

"The Philippines and Vietnam, who are members of ASEAN and have disputes with China in the South China Sea, are attempting to take other ASEAN members as hostages, to deal with China over the issue," Su Hao, director of the Asia-Pacific Research Center at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

"But, apparently, other leading countries in the regional bloc, such as Singapore and Indonesia, which do not have such disputes with China, want to push for other agendas like further regional economic integration," Su added.

A draft document agreed upon by ASEAN foreign ministers calls on all parties to resolve disputes "without resorting to the use of force or the threat of using force" and to "commit to respecting freedom of navigation and overflights," AFP reported Tuesday.

But it added that parties, if failing to do so, may resort to the "dispute-settlement mechanism provided in international law including UNCLOS," the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

AFP said ASEAN countries want the UN law to be the basis for settling rival claims in the South China Sea.

China said Monday that it was willing to discuss the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries when "conditions mature." But Beijing stressed that the COC was not designed to settle disputes but to promote mutual trust and cooperation.

China favors settling maritime rows in the regional hotspot bilaterally, and analysts said it was the most practical way to solve rows if countries are serious about resolving the issues.

"The situation at the ground level is quite different from one dispute to another. A general code of conduct is necessary, but a universal solution is not realistic," an observer on China's maritime issues, who declined to be named, told the Global Times.

Agencies contributed to this story

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

បងប្អូនខ្មែរទាំងឡាយជាទីមេត្រី!

ដំណឹងល្អ...! ដំណឹងល្អ...!

តាមពត៌មានពីអ្នកនាំពាក្យរបស់គណបក្សប្រជាជន
គឺសមមិត្តខៀវ កញ្ញារិទ្ធ បានជូនដំណឹងមកថាអា
ហោ ណាំហុង បានងាប់ទៅហើយកាលពីម៉ោងបី
ទៀបភ្លឺដោយរោគគាំងបេះដូងនៅក្នុងពេទ្យកាល់
ម៉ែតនៅទីក្រុងភ្នំពេញ ។
សូមខ្មែរទាំងអស់គ្នាទាំងក្នុងប្រទេសទាំងក្រៅប្រ
ទេសនាំគ្នាសប្បាយរីករាយនឹងដំណឹងដ៏ល្អនេះឧ្យ
បានគ្រប់ៗគ្នា ហើយជួយផ្សាយពត៌មាននេះតៗៗ
គ្នាឧ្យបានជ្រាបជាដំណឹងល្អសម្រាប់ខ្មែរ ៕

បរាជ័យ! ពួកអាក្បត់ជាតិ !!!
បរាជ័យ! ពួកអាក្បត់ជាតិ !!!
បរាជ័យ! ពួកអាក្បត់ជាតិ !!!

Anonymous said...

ប្រយ័ត្ន ខ្មោច ល្បងហុងងើបមកប្តឹង ថាលោកផ្សាយពត៌មានមិនពិត ! បន្ថែមលើនេះ គាត់មានកូនមួយ អាកាចខ្លាំងនៅអង់គ្លេស
ចាំ ជេរ បញ្ចោរលោកថែមទៀត ។

Anonymous said...

AH CHINA ONLY FLEXING MUSCLE TO A SMALLER COUNTRY. WHEN THEY SEE A BIG BOSS CANS OF WHOOP ASS THEY WILL HIDE IN THEIR SHELL LIKE A TURTLE AH FUCKING BITCH ASS COMMUNIST