Asean, China vow to resolve SCS row

Even as the situation has become “calmer,” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are not taking any chances regarding the South China Sea (SCS) dispute and would vigorously work for greater cooperation in resolving the matter.

This was the position of Beijing and the regional bloc based on their draft joint statement to be issued after their formal meeting.

“Important that we cooperate to maintain peace, stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the SCS, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,” the draft statement read. UNCLOS stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“It is in our collective interest to avoid miscalculations that could lead to escalation of tensions,” it read.

In the statement, ASEAN and Beijing said the soon-tobe-adopted Declaration on a Decade of Coastal and Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea would be “reflective of the shared commitment to the implementation of the DOC” or the Declaration of Conduct of Parties.

“We should continue to build confidence and trust through practical maritime cooperation,” the draft statement said. “By managing the SCS issue well, we can keep ASEAN-China relations on the current positive trajectory.”

US President Donald Trump had offered to mediate in the issue, a gesture that earned him praise from President Duterte as well as from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who called him a “good” mediator and “master of the art of the deal.”

But Cayetano stressed bilateral discussions on the disputes are “going very well,” when asked if ASEAN would need a mediator to help resolve the dispute.

Cayetano said on Sunday that Trump’s offer has to be answered by claimant countries.

“We thank him for it,” Cayetano told reporters on the sidelines of the Informal Trilateral Meeting on Security with his counterparts from Indonesia and Malaysia at Marriott Hotel in Manila.

“But of course the claimant countries have to answer as a group or individually, and not one country can just give an instant reply because mediation involves all of the claimants and non-claimants,” he said.

In a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, the US, Australia, Japan and India also discussed promoting prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region under a rules-based order where freedom of navigation and overflight is respected and where counter-terrorism and maritime security efforts are coordinated and in accordance with international law.

US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said joining the meeting were senior officials from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The officials also discussed ways to ensure peaceful resolution of disputes, increase connectivity consistent with international law and standards based on prudent financing and greater cooperation in addressing North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

“The quadrilateral partners committed to deepening cooperation, which rests on a foundation of shared democratic values and principles, and to continue discussions to further strengthen the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region,” Nauert said.

Trump raised North Korea’s missile tests during his meeting with prime ministers Shinzo Abe of Japan, Malcolm Turnbull of Australia and Narendra Modi of India.

He called on Friday on nations to deal “decisively” with territorial issues and threats to security.

In his speech earlier in Da Nang, Vietnam before CEOs gathered for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and related meetings, Trump underscored the importance of upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, an apparent reference to China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

The region’s future, he said, depends on the observance of rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight.

“We must also deal decisively with other threats to our security and the future of our children such as criminal cartels, human smuggling, drugs, corruption, cyber crime and territorial expansion,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officer-in-charge Commodore Joel Garcia yesterday said their Chinese counterpart is pushing for the establishment of a hotline communication mechanism with the PCG.

The setting up of a hotline communications system would make possible smoother conduct of joint search and rescue (SAR) operation as well as sea patrol to prevent maritime-related crimes.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) made the proposal in Beijing last Nov. 10, ahead of ASEAN summit.

Garcia said the Chinese Ministry of Transport through its Maritime Rescue Coordinating Council (MRCC) also offered to donate equipment needed to establish hotline communication, for real time 24/7 communication between the two agencies.

PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that considering the vast seas of the West Philippine Sea and the Spratly Islands, it would be easier to conduct patrol and ensure faster response time with the help of CCG ships.