ASEAN urges self-restraint in disputes with China

NAYPYIDAW — Vietnam and the Philippines pushed for stronger action to confront China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in the South China Sea at a summit yesterday, but a statement released by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of the meeting put paid to those hopes by making no direct mention of China.

A showdown between Chinese and Vietnamese ships near the Paracel Islands has turned the spotlight on long-standing and bitter maritime disputes. Beijing claims sovereignty over much of the strategically important South China Sea, believed to contain significant oil and gas reserves.

Four of ASEAN’s 10 members, including Vietnam and the Philippines, have competing territorial claims with China, but few are willing to risk their economic and political ties with the grouping’s major trade partner.

In a declaration adopted in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, yesterday, ASEAN leaders called on all parties involved in the disputes to exercise self-restraint and refrain from taking action that could further escalate tensions. The leaders urged all parties to work towards an early conclusion on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, added the Naypyidaw Declaration. Neither Myanmar President Thein Sein’s opening speech nor the final statement yesterday touched on the China-Vietnam dispute.

ASEAN is seeking a code of conduct for the waters, with talks making little progress since China agreed in July last year to start discussions.

The stand-off between China and Vietnam started on May 1, when China moved a deep-sea oil rig into waters close to the Paracel Islands. Vietnam, which says the islands belong to it, immediately despatched ships.

China insists it is doing nothing wrong and said it had “maintained a lot of restraint’’ in the face of “intensive provocations” by Vietnam.

Hanoi says the security and free navigation of the strategic waterway are now under serious threat.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, meanwhile, called for support to resolve his country’s territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea through international arbitration.

ASEAN leaders yesterday also discussed tensions on the Korean Peninsula, reiterating their commitment to a region free of nuclear weapons.

They also discussed the need to effectively tackle threats such as cybercrime, human trafficking and climate change, as well as food and energy security, human-rights issues and efforts to create an ASEAN economic community.

Separately, a statement by ASEAN foreign ministers yesterday called for a “peaceful resolution” to the political crisis gripping Thailand, days after a court ruling removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from power.

It was the first time Myanmar hosted an ASEAN summit since joining the bloc in 1997. It was previously passed over due to its poor human-rights record. AGENCIES