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Beijing’s claims on S China Sea ‘throwing Asean into disarray’

VIENTIANE — South-east Asian nations are in disarray over Beijing’s sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, say analysts and insiders, with the divisions set to deepen as staunch China ally Laos hosts top regional diplomats this weekend.

VIENTIANE — South-east Asian nations are in disarray over Beijing’s sabre-rattling in the South China Sea, say analysts and insiders, with the divisions set to deepen as staunch China ally Laos hosts top regional diplomats this weekend.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are among the delegates due to fly in from tomorrow for two days of meetings in Vientiane, the capital of the communist nation.

The South China Sea is set to cast a long shadow over the summit, which is hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Laos is the current Asean chair.

Earlier this month a United Nations-backed tribunal found there was no legal basis for China’s claims to most of the strategic and resource-rich seas — a ruling rejected as “waste paper” by Beijing.

Asean makes decisions through consultations and consensus but divisions have never been starker, with Beijing blamed for driving a wedge between members.

The Philippines brought the international arbitration case, while fellow Asean members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have competing claims to parts of the sea.

But Cambodia — and hosts Laos — are close Beijing allies, with both impoverished nations weaned on Chinese aid and investment.

Shortly after The Hague ruling, Beijing announced more than half a billion dollars in soft loans for Cambodia.

“China has succeeded in splitting Asean on the South China Sea issue through its allies Laos and Cambodia,” an Asean diplomat told AFP requesting anonymity.

The bloc’s inability to remain united “will surely weaken Asean not just on the South China Sea problem but as a regional grouping,” added the diplomat.

Beijing has resisted negotiation with Asean multilaterally on the South China Sea, insisting that territorial disputes must be settled bilaterally.

As a result, China has successfully moved to divide the bloc.

Chinese pressure was allegedly responsible last month for an embarrassing U-turn by the regional bloc, as members suddenly disowned a hard hitting joint statement released by Malaysia that condemned Beijing’s assertive actions in the seas.

That has led to fears of a repeat of a 2012 summit in Cambodia, where the bloc failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in its history because of disagreements over the waters.

Diplomats are already in Vientiane trying to hash out a response to this month’s tribunal ruling before the foreign ministers arrive.

But insiders say consensus is a long way off.

Critics have long derided Asean as an ineffective talking shop and in the face of the region’s most pressing security issue, some analysts believe the bloc is struggling for relevance.

“Asean suffers from inherent institutional paralysis,” Mr Richard Javad Heydarian, a regional expert at De La Salle University in Manila, told AFP.

“There is this sense of frustration among core Asean countries that China is essentially buying the loyalty of smaller Asean countries.”

China claims nearly all of the strategic sea — home to some of the world’s most important shipping routes — and has steadily strengthened its toehold by converting reefs and sandbars into islands.

Satellite images of Chinese-built airstrips and apparent sea defences have sparked fears of militarisation in the region. Given Laos’ historical closeness to Beijing, there is little optimism it will push the South China Sea issue this year.

Professor Carl Thayer, a regional expert at The University of New South Wales, said the regional bloc could still agree on a joint statement about the South China Sea.

“But they won’t mention China, and I doubt they’ll even mention the arbitral tribunal,” he told AFP, referring to The Hague court.

That begs the question, he added: “Where’s the leadership in Asean?” AFP

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