Maritime dispute with China to take center stage in US-ASEAN summit
An aerial view shows the Pagasa (Hope) Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines July 20, 2011. (REUTERS/Rolex Dela Pena/Pool)
China’s perceived bullying in the South China Sea region will take center stage in an upcoming summit between leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc and the United States this month, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday.
The US-ASEAN special summit is to take place middle of this month in California, and del Rosario said rival claimants to the sea region are planning a meeting “on the sidelines” to discuss China’s aggressive stance.
“I think on the South China Sea, clearly we want to bring to the fore the rule of law, we want to discuss freedom of navigation. We want to look at (China’s) island building,” del Rosario, who is due to step down in March, told reporters.
He said the bloc would also discuss China’s alleged plans to establish an air defense identification zone covering the disputed territories, in a bid to fortify its claims.
Beijing has of late expanded its land territory in reefs it claims in the sea region, raising alarm from rival claimants.
China claims that whole of the South China Sea, while Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have rival claims to parts of the sea, which is believed to have untapped gas and mineral deposits.
Del Rosario said the Philippines was endeavoring to establish “constructive relations” with China, the strongest military power in the region, without sacrificing “maritime entitlements”.
“We want to impress that the sum total of our relations does not rest on the South China Sea dispute,” del Rosario said.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario answers questions during a Foreign Correspondent of the Philippines (FOCAP) meeting in Manila March 26, 2015. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco/Files)
The “US-ASEAN summit agenda calls for maritime security, economic integration as well as transnational concerns,” he said.
Del Rosario said all countries would also seek ways to “be able to move the strategic partnership” with the US forward and “more effectively and in a stronger manner.”
The Philippines has been the most proactive among the smaller claimants, and has taken China to UN arbitration to rule on its claims. The court is expected to decide on the merits of the case shortly.
“We hope the decision will come out before May. We don’t know what the chances of that might be, but it looks doable,” del Rosario said.
“We hope that China will adhere to the decision, we will do the same whatever the decision might be,” he said.
He said the Philippine side ended the presentation of its case last year in hearings that were snubbed by China, which prefers to solve the issue bilaterally. But the UN tribunal had countered and said China’s non-participation did not deprive it of jurisdiction to the case.
Manila contends that China’s claims of historical rights to the sea, including claims to waters in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, have no basis. It also argued that features used by China as basis to generate its claims “are either rocks or low-tide elevations, which at best can only generate up to 12 nautical miles of maritime entitlements.”
It also charged that China’s island-building and fishing activities have caused irreversible damage to the marine environment of the South China Sea.
Amid the dispute, ASEAN countries such as the Philippines has sought stronger military alliance with the US. In particular, Manila signed an enhanced defense cooperation alliance and is currently negotiating up to 66 million dollars in funding to rehabilitate its bases.
The pact would boost an existing mutual defense treaty, and among others, pave the way for the transfer of a third high-endurance cutter and research ship this year. A similar, former US ship now patrols Philippine territory after it was transformed as the local navy’s flagship.
US equipment are also to be transferred on Philippine soil, 25 years after congress voted to shut down two of America’s largest overseas bases in Subic and Clark, north of Manila.
US ships have also sailed near the disputed waters to stress what it calls was its right under the “freedom of navigation” rules, in a move that has angered China.
